At long last, Rupert Murdoch’s much-hyped iPad-only publication, The Daily, is available in the App Store. It marks the beginning of Apple’s app subscription model, as well as a potentially huge shift in digital journalism. You can check out what all the fuss is about for free by downloading the app, and we’ve got the skinny on a few other choice apps below.
The Daily (iPad) Free (with in-app subscription)
Rupert Murdoch’s long-developed iPad-only publication is finally available for readers to explore. The news magazine updates daily with more than 100 pages of content, and includes photos, HD videos and interactive charts and graphics. You can share interesting articles through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and even leave comments on stories within the app.
The first two weeks of The Daily are free when you download the app, and after that, you can subscribe for a dollar a week, or pay $39.99 for the whole year, using in-app purchases. It also includes some of the more popular features of a print newspaper — including local weather and daily crossword and sudoku puzzles.
DropVox (iPhone) $0.99
Record your voice with DropVox and save it to your DropBox web server space — that’s this app’s simple function. Since DropBox is cloud-based and lets you access your data, files or voice recordings from your mobile devices or computers.
DropVox compresses your audio data into MP4 files to save space on your device’s hard drive, and allows you to start recording instantly when you launch the app. You can also run the app in the background while your screen is locked to save battery.
Kobo eBooks update (iPhone, iPad) Free
E-reader and e-book store Kobo offers almost two million free e-books in addition to its catalogue of books for sale, and a new update helps to make the experience of reading on your iDevice a little more social and statistical.
Kobo already lets you share what you’re reading with friends on Facebook and Twitter, posting passages and other information straight from the app. A new update adds a feature called “Reading Life” that compiles info about what you’re reading and how much, which you can share with others to get a sense of what part reading plays in your life. You can track your habits and the app will even reward you with badges and achievements for the things you do, like reading late at night. It’s a fun development that sets this e-reader apart from the many others in the App Store.
