News apps for your android device

News matters, seriously, folks

Nowadays, most of us techies are proud owners of one or more android-powered devices or similar ones running other smart OSes. The list often includes a tablet, and I find especially a 7'' one the best companion for reading. Even 5 inch plablets are no good for reading books and magazines, especially when you're into reading for long. Besides, another particular problem is that, a 10 inch tablet is just too big and heavy to hold for long. As such, keeping a 7 inch half-sized tablet is a great thing. And for us Indian users, there is no need to spend bucks behind the iPad-mini, when we have shower of 7 inch tablets from our own companies such as Lava, Micromax and HCL. So now, on to the topic.

News apps are required to stay updated on the go. The time for reading newspapers is short, and a tablet or smartphone is by far much more portable. Besides, some people just find it much more geeky and better to read news on tablets, maybe just to show off. :)

Here is a list of the best news apps from the PlayStore, all of which are free:

India News, good for day-to-day reading

1. India News (DipoleTech): One of the indispensable apps for the Indian users, India News is an excellent companion to read news both online and offline. The native Times of India app doesn't function so well without net, while India News simply pulls your news right from the web and keeps them stored for offline reading. Best suited if you don't always stay online.
Besides lightness and basic customization, India News also provides us an option to 'star' news articles, i.e save them for later offline reading, and this function can be used to keep a list of interesting news articles that you may wish to include in your research later.

The beauty of flipboard, just flip!

2. BBC News: For all users allover the world, this app is simply excellent. Basic customization is provided, and the tile-like approach to news-reading is simply rocking. Images are rendered quickly, and you can manually edit the sections to be displayed. There is even a 'Send to BBC News' option, if you're into reporting. :)
While not so useful in my humble opinion as India News, this app can serve as an alternate news-reader and help you stay updated with current world affairs.

3. Appy Geek: If you're into technology, this is your thing. You can keep yourself informed about a vast multitude of different sections of the technical world, ranging from Facebook and Chrome to Ubuntu and Linux. Articles are rendered quickly and swiftly, and what I especially love about it is the presentation.
If you have time and will, this app is a bright companion to keep beside you for your daily/weekly tech digest.

Built by Google after failing to acquire Flipboard, Currents

4. FlipBoard: Few news apps I've ever used provide us with such a lightweight and flexible magazine-styled reading experience on the go. It incorporates your facebook and twitter feeds right into your personalized news-reader. While the articles are fresh, I don't recommend it for offline reading. Best to read it if you're within the range of your Wifi.

5. Google Currents: One of the best apps I've ever used, Currents is usually more suited as an alternative app. You get all your feeds from your Google Reader, can certainly include more feeds and Google releases, as well as from well-known publications such as Hindustan Times and ABC News.

Just the gorgeous UI of Pulse News, beautiful

6. Pulse News: This too, is more suited for alternative news-reading, and especially for your weekly dose. Endowed with a great and intuitive UI, Pulse News certainly leads the current range of news apps so far as interface is talked about.
This app too is mainly suited for online reading. A great features bundled in it is the concept of 'News packs', which are actually customizable collections of news-feeds from different fields such as Science, Technology, Fun and satire, Politics and so on.

7. Stock News app: This is especially useful for quick online reading, or just browsing the headlines.

I personally include all of these, so that I can easily switch between different apps. Keep one app as your main source of news, and others as additional apps just to stay updated. After all, installing and testing free software doesn't harm. :)