Global intelligence publisher Stratfor has launched an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch which will bring the company’s comprehensive briefings, news, analyses and insights to users on a mobile level 24 hours a day.
If you aren’t familiar with Stratfor, the company provides strategic intelligence on global business, economic, security and geopolitical affairs. Although Stratfor is a free download, it’s not a free app. Users get a free month to test the app and check out Stratfor’s content, but after that, a $9.99 per month charge is implemented through an in-app purchase. And, yes, the ads will remain. For current Stratfor members, use of the iPhone app is included with their subscription, but at $349 a year for use of Stratfor.com, the app’s price shapes up to be a steal—mostly because Stratfor promises to include its full, unabbreviated content in the iPhone app.
Stratfor includes analyses and forecasts on topics such as situation reports, economics and finance, energy, military, politics, and terrorism and security. Users can also browse stories by a particular region or explore “Critical Intel” folders. The iPhone app’s design is clean, and while I would prefer videos to open in-line, the app is a quality complement to Stratfor.com.
