Google has rolled out an update to their Google News web app that allows iOS and Android fans to receive local news while on the go.
To use this feature, visit Google News from the browser of your Android smartphone or iPhone. If this is the first time you are visiting Google News on your phone since this feature became available, a pop-up will ask you if you want to share your location. If you say yes, news relevant to your location will appear in a new section called “News near you†which will be added at the bottom of the homepage. (Google News Blog)
Embracing local via mobile should help Google compete with rival services like Topix (the latter who has been quietly dominating the local news niche).
Although it’s great to see a robust web app, hopefully Google will consider launching a native app in the not so distant future (as even Yahoo! has a native news app for Android and iOS fans).
Surprising Google seems to have overlooked supporting a few rival platforms (like Blackberry OS, webOS and Windows Phone 7) most who support HTML5.
Note: Can any readers upon other smartphones view the “News near you” feature? If so, let us know in the comment section below!
Originally posted on May 13, 2011 @ 2:18 pm
I am excited by this and that Topix has some competition. Local news is a great idea and something I have interest in. However, what I DO NOT have interest in is all the garbage Topix allows in its so called news forums. There are so many brutal attacks on children, business owners, etc. that most of their local forums contain very little real news but an overwhelming amount of gossip, libel, and defamation. That is what happens when you have very little pride in your site. Topix has virtually no moderation and the fact that users can post anything they want with no registration or moderation is truly shocking. Hopefully google will do a more effective job of sticking to reporting real local news and not allowing pure gossip like Topix does.