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Switch feeds from within an RSS channel in BlackBerry News App for PlayBook
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16 Comments

BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook updated to version 1.1; brings portrait mode and read articles

By Joseph Holder on 19 Aug 2011 08:59 am
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BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook is actually one of my favorite applications for the BlackBerry tablet. Rather than presenting all of your news items in lists of lists of lists, News shows your RSS feeds laid out like a magazine. Complete with images, headlines, and inspired layouts, BlackBerry News is a beautiful (and efficient) way of viewing your articles.

Version 1.1 brings quite a number of improvements to the application.

  • Read articles are now marked as read
  • Portrait mode support for all screens in application
  • ‘New' content indicator on home screen
  • Ability to update channels through data tethering
  • Ability to switch channels while in magazine view 
  • Ability to go to previous/next article in the article view
  • Ability to view a feed immediately once subscribed to it 

Not only that, but the once-laborious update process - for gathering new news - appears to be much more streamlined. The app completes its updates much more quickly than before and continues to gather data even after that "updating" screen disappears. Switching between articles or feeds once required a tap of the back button. No longer; switch between articles by tapping the arrows at the bottom or between feeds by swiping down from the top.  

Version 1.1 of the BlackBerry News App for the PlayBook is a welcome and well-executed update to a wonderful free application. BlackBerry News is available to users in the United States and Canada.

Download / Update BlackBerry News App for PlayBook from BlackBerry App World

Topics: RSS BlackBerry News PlayBook Apps

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Joseph Holder Joseph Holder 179 (articles) 23 (forum posts)
16 comments

sk8er_tor

It's definitely a great update!

def1014

For a company whose future is completely riding on the success of the QNX OS, they are taking an awfully long time providing OS updates. Like HP, if this tablet fails, so will the phones. The Playbook might as well be calle "the prototype". If they can't get applications running on it, what makes them think they will get enough apps for the phone devices? The lack of a Kindle app has really sucked. Even now, they only option we have is a so-so HTML 5 version that is meant for the iPad. Still waiting on the Droid update by the end of summer. What do we have 2 weeks left? If it is not ready, can they at least provide an update?

z_scorpio_z

yes, an update to blackberry news did make me think all that as well /s

sashas

Does it have Google Reader integration?

BB1337

Why the hell isn't it available outside north america... I HATE RIMS LEGAL STAFF

kyhung

same with you!!! WHY

lerxster

News and podcast apps not available outside N America! More reasons for people not to bother with the PB...! (I love mine tho :P )

Gortoth666

Same here... I hate the fact I can't get the app, but love my PB!!

z_scorpio_z

there is a bar file for newz in the forums that can be side loaded. I don't know about the new version though.

other option would be to setup a us/canada proxy and then open appworld, i think you would be able to download it and update it later without proxy.

Witmen

Does anyone know if the articles ever eventually delete on their own in the PB version? I remember the first beta zone versions of news feeds for the phones wouldn't let you manually delete your articles either. This kinda drives me nutts because I get over 1,000 articles a day. I scan the title if it looks interesting I read it then once I have went through them all I delete them. I never have a need to go back and read old articles. So there is no point in storing thousands of articles that just take up space.

If I could manually delete the articles in the PB I would probably use it over the phone version. What would be really awesome is if they made the phone and tablet versions sync together.

z_scorpio_z

from what i have seen the article count is 100 max/per channel. At that point it only saves the 100 most recent article (per channel) and the old somes are dropped automatically. The updated read/unread will be useful because otherwise it would always say 100 articles under each channel.

Witmen

Thanks!

Did you find that out on your own by keep track of the oldest article and seeing if it ever gets deleted? I have been doing that on my busiest feed and must not have reached the 100 article point yet.

I wish they would figure out that people want the ability to delete articles. It can't be something difficult for them to implement.

thatRICO

So any way to download this outside of North America? please please please

TomCanuck

the arrows to switch articles are retarded. did RIM forget that the PlayBook supports swiping? one step forward (marking items as read) one step backwards (arrows to scroll articles)

and i cant find a way to manually mark as read, say an article i read the headline but don't wanna read the full article.