Custom News

Developer: Centered Systems
Category: News
Version: 1.0
Release Date: September 19, 2009
Size: 0.8 MB
Price: $0.99
Rating: 7/10

The news genre is getting pretty full, and that means repetitive. There are tons of news content delivery apps available that do the job and do it well. Some of them have gotten incredibly intricate and offer a sea of information, some are specific to a single news source, and some specialize in local news. While I was skeptical about any new entry to the seemingly played out news content delivery genre, Custom News has actually proven itself to be very useful.

Custom News hones in on 15 of the top newspapers in the U.S. The app allows you to customize what news you want to receive from what sources. In a very straight forward interface you drag and drop to arrange the sources and types of articles you want to see. It is a very original way to actually physically make lists, much slicker than using the "plus" and "minus" buttons to customize the app to your liking.

At first I couldn't really by into the app, because the NYT, WSJ and News Junkie already inhabit my iPhone permanently. In addition to those I have a couple of different apps that I use for more localized news also. Then I realized that I had been leaving some of the major papers off of my iPhone because of lack of space. I had to grit my teeth to do it, but I dropped the NYT and WSJ apps and experimented with using just Custom News. It only took one commute on the train and I was convinced that I had made a good decision. I have really been enjoying the new access to the Boston Globe and the SF Chronicle among others. Although I miss the aesthetics of the icons I dropped, the tradeoff for more news was more than worth it, and the added bonus of a few more spaces to park apps on my crowded phone is great.

The developer, Centered Systems, promises that the app will grow to include more papers and magazines. It may need a few more crucial sources, but I'd like to see the app stay specialized and small. I'm a big fan of simple. The draw for me is that the app is not a monster like some of the news content delivery apps available. The place I do like to see some intricacy is in graphic design, and the app could be a little flashier here. I like Custom News, it made the cut and is seeing use every day on my commute. It managed to replace a couple of heavy hitters, so you know at $0.99 you are getting a great deal on a straightforward easy to use and customize news app.