10 Smart Social Reading and News Apps

Whether you’re reading a riveting novella, an insightful piece of long-form journalism, or the latest post from your favourite blogger, the written word has the ability to capture the imagination and make long, tedious journeys just slip away. In modern times, though, reading has become more than just words on a page or screen. A plethora of apps is available to make books more social, and news better suited to your interests.

To narrow down your options only to those that are worthy of a download, I’ve compiled a list of the most innovative social reading and news recommendation apps that the Play Store has to offer.

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Readmill

Readmill, a relative newcomer among Android e-readers, is currently somewhat of a beta-stage work in progress. It doesn’t provide much by way of customization, but it does provide a well-supported network for bookworms. The app allows you to discuss highlights with fellow readers and share your favourite excerpts on Twitter and Facebook.

A very nicely curated free bookshelf also awaits you in the Explore section, and the ability to import DRM-free ebooks straight into the app is very much welcome. Library syncing between your devices is available, too.

Readmill

Price: Free
Requires: Android 4.0 or above
Google Play Link: Readmill: ebook reader
Developer: Readmill Network Ltd.

Kobo

Fellow reading app Kobo shares social aspirations with Readmill, although Kobo delegates most reader-to-reader interaction to Facebook. This allows you to see what your friends are reading, and the app uses your social data to recommend what you might want to read next. As with Readmill, Kobo also offers book import, and it has its own library syncing system.

But Kobo has plenty of tricks of its own. It provides in-depth reading analytics, a system of badges to reward you for your commitment to page-turning, and a very good range of display options, including alternative fonts.

Kobo

Price: Free
Requires: Android Varies with device
Google Play Link: Kobo
Developer: Kobo Inc.

Flipboard

If you like the page-turning format, but would prefer your reading to be a bit more up to date, then Flipboard is the obvious choice of news app. This app is split into stylish magazine-like sections which can contain posts from your favourites publishers, links from social media accounts, or the curated content of your fellow users.

At the top of every Flipboard story is the opportunity to discuss the article with other readers, and the ability to share the post to numerous social networks.

Flipboard

Price: Free
Requires: Android Varies with device
Google Play Link: Flipboard: Your News Magazine
Developer: Flipboard

Zite

Zite is designed for the casual browser of news, but this app takes a very hands-on approach to the content it delivers.

Although you can manually choose the topics you’d like to read about, Zite is at its best when you sign in with Facebook, Twitter, or pocket, and allow the app to work out what suits you. The result is an impressively well-tailored stream of posts that is served up in a neat, if unspectacular, design. Also included is the option to mould the app to your taste by approving or disapproving of stories, and you can share posts via any social apps installed on your Android device.

Zite

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.3.3 or above
Google Play Link: Zite
Developer: Zite, Inc.

LinkedIn Pulse

In terms of the basic function and mode of operation, there’s very little to split Pulse and Zite, but that’s not to say they are identical. For starters, as Pulse is nowadays a product of the world’s largest professional network, there’s a slight bias in this app towards work-related news, and the first screen you encounter encourages you to log in to your LinkedIn account for a personalized news reading experience.

If you ignore these asides, though, you’ll find a very sleekly designed news app that includes an integrated commenting system and easy social sharing.

LinkedIn Pulse

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: LinkedIn Pulse
Developer: Alphonso Labs

Taptu

Taptu is yet another magazine app, and one that doesn’t reach the quality of aesthetics seen in some of the extremely polished offerings above, at that. However, its intriguing subtitle — “DJ your news” — is backed up by an intelligent news-gathering system that allows you to mix publishers, topics, RSS feeds and social updates into a personalized home of reading material.

It also provides a considerable number of visual customization options, as well as a proficient search engine, and in-app social sharing.

Taptu

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play Link: Taptu – DJ your News
Developer: Taptu

Digg

Digg is a social news network that has been up, down, and is now on its way back up, in part due to the revamped website’s elegant interface and RSS compatibility – attributes also found in its Android offering.

Along with the ability to view the network’s signature crowd-curated content, you can add your own feeds — either by URL or via the in-built search — choose from the pre-selected publishers that are listed by subject, and diggyour way round the stories on offer. Integration with the big three read later services is a welcome bonus.

Digg

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Digg
Developer: Digg

Pocket

Speaking of reading later – you might not think of Pocket (formerly Read It Later) as a clever news reading app, but after the recent release of version 5, that is what it has become.

Although the Pocket Android app is truly excellent for reading the articles you’ve saved for later, the new Highlights feature follows your reading habits, and suggests which clipped content is likely to interest you the most. And from both my own use, and the experience of others, I would say that Pocket gets these recommendations pretty much spot on.

Pocket

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Pocket
Developer: Read It Later

Circa News

The idea of Circa is to reinvent breaking news for the smartphone reader, and it does so with some style. The latest headlines are told in bite-sized statements, facts, or numbers, all of which are curated from trustworthy sources by Circa’s human editors. On the one hand, this limits the number of headlines available, but on the other hand, it gives this app human intelligence.

Additionally, Circa’s reports update as new information becomes available, and if you follow a story, you can receive notifications about the latest updates.

Circa

Price: Free
Requires: Android 4.0 or above
Google Play Link: Circa News
Developer: Circa 1605, Inc.

News360

As its name suggests, News360 is in the business of serving up the latest headlines, too, but it takes a Google news- like approach to its delivery, with stories split by subject. News360 offers quick access to your favourite topics, and presents stories in a beautiful, side-swiping interface.

Although the topic sorting isn’t always completely accurate, the multiple news sources pulled in by News360 make for a rich, comprehensive reading experience, and the app has its own, in-built read later service.

News360

Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: News360
Developer: News360 LLC

In Summary

So there you have it – the cleverest aggregators of reading material your Android device could possibly dream of running. My personal favourites are Readmill for reading, Digg for feeds and Circa for news; but which are your favourites? And have I missed a killer app from my list? Let me know in the comments below.

3 Apps to Enjoy Your Comics and Mangas

One form of media that has definitely stood the test of time is the comic book. Since 1933, when the first comic book was published, the industry has grown from strength to strength and led to blockbuster creations such as the Avengers and Batman. And the main reason people still read comics is that they provide both visual and textual gratification to the reader. Thanks to our mobile devices getting larger screens and the ubiquity of tablets, comics are no longer limited to physical books but can also be enjoyed on our Android devices.

There is now a growing number of apps that allow you to devour comics and mangas on your mobile device, and in this article I will show you my personal favorites and help you find a few other high quality ones.

Comics by ComiXology

The first app I’m looking at today is Comics, which provides a huge database of popular comics and displays them all in an easy to follow format. Upon opening Comics, you’ll instantly be shown hundreds of downloadable books that you can choose to read. From this front page you will be able to see the regular deals and some of the most popular reads available. You’ll also be able to access the huge range of free comics on offer in the app’s catalogue.

The front page of Comics is informative and allows for easy navigation.

When deciding whether you want to download a comic, you have a wide range of information at your disposal. By tapping on any comic, you are taken to a page with a summary, ratings and even a preview image of the content. All of this information is great if you’re wandering into new comic material as it gives you a brief glimpse of what to expect.

When viewing a comic’s description, you have a huge amount of information available.

Once a comic is downloaded, you can access it by clicking the book icon in the top right. This is where you open your full library and can start reading. You’ll soon notice that every comic on this app is of high quality and a worthwhile read — a great place to get your comic fix.

I use Comics on a regular basis for many reasons. Its main advantages include its wide library with many free comics, the regular deals and the quality of every piece. It is definitely one of the best-built apps in this genre and well worth a look if you’re into the genre.

Manga Plus Reader

A variation of the comic that actually existed long before it is Manga. Originating in Japan in the 19th century, this form of media is now one of Japan’s biggest publishing outputs, attracting a huge and fanatic audience. There are many Manga apps on the Play Store, however, Manga Plus Reader is always my first pick and I’ll explain why.

With the huge range of genres, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that Manga Plus Reader is very simplistic and doesn’t try to pack hundreds of options and features into the app. When searching for reading material, you’ll first be shown a wide range of genres. After picking one, you are given a huge amount of mangas that you can choose to download, all them being free. Once downloaded, whether it’s a chapter or a whole book, the content is available in your Library almost instantly. And again, the quality on every page is fantastic.

The distinctive Manga art style is impressively represented on this app.

However, one gripe many people may have with this app are the advertisements that scroll constantly at the bottom of the screen. To remove these, you need to upgrade to the ad-free version, which costs less than a coffee at only £0.88 — a small payment for an app so good.

In conclusion, Manga Plus is a one of the best apps in its category, giving you the ability to access a large amount of mangas within seconds. The quality of the presentation is high and it doesn’t take long to begin reading, making it the perfect app for the avid Manga fan.

NARR8

The final app I have picked is NARR8, which is a quite unique in the genre. The first thing you should know is that on NARR8, you don’t buy comics with straight money. Instead, you first buy NARRs — the app’s form of currency used. NARRs range from 150 for £1.91 to 10,000 for £31.94, but you also receive free NARRs every day as a bonus. Also, many comics don’t require any NARRs. The other quirk of the app is that you need to register an account before you start using NARRs and downloading comics. Conveniently, this can be done through Twitter and Facebook.

The wide range of choice is evident from the front page.

The content here is also quite different from traditional comics and mangas, but pretty awesome at the same time. Every comic is animated and accompanied by music, which really enhances the experience. Comics are also well executed, and the app covers a huge range of genres and types.

The interactive element of the content is by far the most appealing feature.

NARR8 is one of my favourite apps because it is unique. It offers the reader an experience they can’t get anywhere else for a very minimal sum of money. If you’re looking for some new and interesting comics, NARR8 should definitely be your first choice.