The Ledger, Polk County’s daily newspaper, has updated its mobile apps for iPhone and iPad and introduced its first Android app. For now, the apps are outside the paywalls that restrict non-subscribers to five articles per month on digital devices.
The app was developed by doapps of Minneapolis and mirrors new apps from other papers that, like The Ledger, are owned by GateHouse Media.
The app opens to a list of top national and international news. (They obviously didn’t ask me, but I would have defaulted to local news.) It also includes sections for local news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, Florida, business, obituaries, opinion and photo galleries.
A traffic map and weather page will pull in data from wherever the user happen to be, but presumably that relies on the user giving the app permission to access the device’s location.
The app will allow editors to send breaking news alerts to users. In the past, editors were able to send text notifications to readers who signed up for them but technical problems have prevented that for the last year or more.
While previous Ledger apps were more text-based, the home page of the new one emphasizes photo display and modern typography.
[broadstreet zone=”43907″]
Advertising support includes a narrow ad at the bottom of phone screens and a square ad space at the bottom of articles.
Asked if the apps would remain outside the paywall, Editor Lenore Devore said by email that a pay meter is anticipated, but the limit will be much higher than the current five-story limit on other devices.
The apps are available in the iTunes store and in Google Play.
What about us?
While we’re on the topic, several people have asked if mobile apps are planned for lkldnow.com. Quick answer: None are currently planned because lkldnow.com is formatted to adjust to the screen size of your device.
For those who want quicker access than going to your mobile browser and typing in lkldnow.com, consider adding an icon to your home screen. Here’s how:
iPhone, iPad: In the Safari browser, go to lkldnow.com, then tap the Share button (That’s the square one with an arrow pointing up). Tap the Add to Home Screen icon. Then tap Add. (As of November 2015, there is no simple way to do this in Chrome or other browsers.)
Android: In the Chrome browser, go to lkldnow.com, then tap the “hamburger” menu button and select Add to homescreen.
Check a howtogeek.com article for more details and illustrations.
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