Last Updated on October 30, 2012 by New-Startups Team
There is so much content around us and how that content is received has taken turns from paper to electronic devices. There have been quite a few news aggregators, readers and apps launched over the last few years, the newest one is Circa. Developed by Circa 1605 Inc. their new iPhone app delivers your news formatted specifically for your mobile device.
As strides in responsive and HTML5 design makes its way to all the usual news outlets we’ve come accustomed to using, not all of them have made the necessary adjustments to be effective on our tiny pocket friends right now. But is it enough to just re-share content for viewing on mobile devices? Circa provides the news “without the fluff, filler, or commentary” – which is now available for free in Apple’s App Store.
It all starts however with design; Circa does a remarkable job at building a news reading solution that is minimal, effective and eye-appealing for the iPhone. It focuses you on the news without distractions while allowing for custom swiping controls to find what is most important to you. They don’t try to re-do Flipboard or provide a delicious new user experience approach, rather the designer kept it simple: A key ingredient in the news reading experience.
Beyond the design, how the app gathers and shares content is very inspiring. While most apps don’t do much more then aggregate the information and links you to the full story. The editors behind Circa write-one paragraph points on each topic. They keep each story short, usually anywhere between six to eight points for an article so you can capture the gist of the news. Without hindering the core points of the story, the journalists behind Circa do an impeccable job at delivering the important facts with as few words as possible. While all the stories have further information, if needed, to a points source, you can be even more certain on its credibility because Circa only uses credible outlets to provide the content worth reading, such as the Wall Street Journal and local newspapers.
“Circa’s editors gather top stories and break them down to their essential points — facts, quotes, photos, and more, formatted specifically for the phone.” Instead of just redistributing content in a new way, Circa is creating the first “born-on-mobile news experience, delivering it in a format native to mobile devices, with an experience intuitive to mobile users.”
The news industry has been going through a transition for a number of years. And we’re sure the changes aren’t over. Circa takes a unique and smart approach to share content for all of us on the go and mobile devices. As entrepreneurs how do you think the news industry will evolve?