POLITICO for iPad (free) brings the world of politics to your iPad in a beautiful, polished application without all the clutter. Most news applications try to do too much: with videos, photos and added features that only confuse and intimidate some older users. POLITICO is minimalistic, focusing on what’s really important, the articles themselves.
The front page of the app is neatly presented, with the featured story taking up the most space. The other stories surround it, just as you would see in a newspaper. Most articles have at least one photo, but not all the photos are displayed on the main page. Photos and video really aren’t a major focus in this app. It’s all about the articles, as it should be. POLITICO is a major source for many breaking political stories. It’s frequently referenced by major news organizations.
Each article reads just like a newspaper. There are two columns per page, and you can swipe through the pages from left to right. Photos and videos can be seen full-screen, and articles can be shared via email, Facebook and Twitter. There is also a button to change the font size. The maximum font size is very large and easy to read. There is only one other button, a simple back arrow that takes you back to the front page.
I would like to say the app is perfect, but I experienced a bit too many crashes while attempting to read articles. Of course, this is an easy fix that I’m sure will come in the next update. Other than that, the app is gorgeous, and offers the user a great experience while reading about the day’s political stories.
