Despite all the hoopla for Apple’s iPhone and the ocean of apps for it, there are other smartphone platforms. And they too have apps for them.
One such platform is the Google-sponsored Android; NPR has an app for the Android and it now has been upgraded. NPR News for Android v. 1.2 is available at the Android Market.
Main features for Android include live streaming for the more than 1,000 audio streams provided by 600 accessible NPR stations. Android 1.2 also allows for background streaming for moving between apps but still maintaining the stream connection. Users can also listen to the stream and read the news story simultaneously.
Android 1.2 also has significant bookmarking and playlist options for finding and saving NPR stations and stories. It will also showcase the news sections similarly to NPR’s Web site. Social networking is also supported via Facebook, SMS and e-mail functions.