Fox News has launched an iPad app today, called simply Fox News for iPad. It’s a free app for now, sponsored by ExxonMobil, whose ads are shown prominently on all pages and as intros on many of the videos in the app.
The app offers a lot of what you’d expect from Fox News and lots of coverage of breaking news. I’ve only taken a very quick look at it so far and Fox News is not my most watched news channel, but this app looks pretty sharp at first glance.
Just a few quick notes after browsing the app for a short while, and a few more screencaps:
It offers an ‘On Air Now’ button right at the top left of its top nav bar, so you can jump to live viewing when you like. Then there’s a large ‘Happening Now’ section filled with the latest news shown via a slider with images for the breaking stories. It also has live coverage of FoxNews.com from 9:00AM-3:00PM Eastern daily.
Below that is another section where you can switch between views of Top Stories, FNC Programs, Favorites, and a Playlist for videos you want to watch – and there is plenty of video content in the app from what I can see so far.
The Fox News ticker runs continually along the bottom strip of the screen on all pages.
It also has Fox show schedules and a popover that offers access to Fox News Radio – with an ‘On Now’ section and a series of audio clips.
The UI of the app is quite cluttered, with not a lot of breathing space between elements on pages.
If you’re a fan of Fox News, you’re probably going to enjoy this app. I’m going to keep it around and see what I think after getting a chance to use it more.
Here’s an App Store link for Fox News for iPad; it’s a free app.