Lately, there have been quite a few apps launched in the App Store that do more than just show you typical news stories that you read. With today’s technologies, there is no reason to actually read anything.
Wibbitz reads you the news, but also presents you with a visual companion to make listening to the news more interesting. It is like a mini movie for your favorite articles…
Users can listen while articles are read by a somewhat realistic digital voice. The narrator sounds better than the Siri-like reader in Uttr, but is not as good as the real life voice actors in Umano.
In addition to having full articles read to you, you will be presented with videos to go along with the articles. Using advanced text analysis and smart algorithms, Wibbitz adds visual graphics that represent what is being read. The technology brings stories to life by weaving together related images, video clips, and animated infographics. The resulting videos are usually between one and two minutes long.
To begin, tap a category to find interesting news that you would like to listen to. The apps’ default categories include top stories, technology, and the market overview. However, you can add a variety of different themes, including entertainment news from E Online, technology news from a variety of popular tech blogs (sorry, no iDB here), and sports news from ESPN, as well as many more. You can also arrange your feeds in a specific order so that when they play automatically, you’ll be listening to your favorite topics first.
Tap the news story that you would like to hear to begin the video. Each video will feature images relating to the content, text that is mentioned in the article, maps, video clips, and animated infographs that make it easier to digest the information you are listening to.
You can swipe up anywhere to watch a specific news story and swipe down to go back. Pause and play videos just by tapping the screen to call up the controls.
Supposedly, you are able to link directly back to the article that you are listening to in the app. However, I was unable to find that feature.
Wibbitz makes it possible for you to take in the news in a completely new way. You can listen to articles while watching visually interesting images that compliment the stories.
This app is available for free. Download it in the App Store today.
How do you get the news each morning? Do you prefer to watch it on a television program or read it online?