App is 1st Microsoft news app for mobile devices

MSN in the UK has added its own news app for the iPad. The MSN UK App brings to the tablet current news, sport and entertainment articles, and videos (free, App Store). This is Microsoft's first news information service to run natively as an app on a mobile system without first having to go to a Microsoft portal site.

The title shows news either in portrait or landscape orientation. The app also offers photo galleries, slideshows and videos. Stories can be viewed as a stream, or downloaded for later offline viewing. Microsoft has built Bing search into app's viewing page for easy searching. The app brings sharing using Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail.

This is actually the second release for the app. The original version contained a bug which could cause the app to crash after performing multiple Bing searches. This update fixes the problem.

The app is similar to that offered by Pulse. That news reading app, which is supported on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, consolidates and presents information from a viewer's favorite media sources, not just one as does MSN UK. Pulse also incorporates a user's chosen blogs and social networking sites, including Digg and Facebook, as well as Vimeo and YouTube video clips.

Microsoft has not announced when the app might be available outside the UK or when it will be supported on iOS, Android, or possibly Windows tablets.

By Electronista Staff