AP Mobile

A new version of AP Mobile has been loaded to the Apple App Store. Version 2.0.1 addresses the bug that some users were seeing when upgrading from 1.5.1. The new version also allows users to view weather in Celsius or Fahrenheit. We will update this post when the application goes live on App Store.

AP Mobile for Nokia has launched on Nokia’s Ovi Store and was nominated by TechCrunch as one of the 10 must-download applications that every Nokia user should have. You can download AP Mobile for your S60 or Series 40 Nokia phone from Ovi or learn more about the application on the Nokia Ovi portal.

Hi AP Mobile News Network Friends,

Thank you for all your feedback and support. You have helped make the Mobile News Network one of the most popular news applications in the industry.

We are honored to have been nominated for Best Mobile News Application in the annual Webby Awards. This is considered the internet’s highest honor, and with your votes we can win!

Please take the time to cast your vote at http://pv.webbyawards.com by April 30th. Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, tell the world that AP Mobile News Network is in a class of its own.

We are excited to continue improving and innovating the way you get the news. AP Mobile News Network keeps you in the Know on the Go.

Thank you for your support.

Vote for us!

AP Mobile Blackberry

Choose “AP Mobile News for BlackBerry” as Best in Show at CTIA Wireless 2009.

For the first time, you can see all the entries on a dedicated microsite. Visit the CTIA Emerging Technology Awards site and select “Mobile Applications & Widgets – Mobile Entertainment/Social Networking” from the dropdown. Mark it as a Favorite to vote.

The winner of the “Best In Show” award which will be announced at the E-Tech Awards Ceremony on April 2, 2009.

CTIA-The Wireless Association is an international nonprofit membership organization founded in 1984 representing all sectors of wireless communications.

The addition of an advertising component to the iPhone and other Mobile News Network applications has generated significant feedback from users – largely negative. At present, an ad-supported model is our best option to provide MNN apps free to the user. However, we recognize that ads can be frustrating and we’d like to explain why advertising is a necessary component, at least for now.

   
The AP is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative. The Mobile News Network is part of an initiative aimed at finding new digital outlets for news and information produced by AP members. It’s designed to offer users access to local and national news from trusted sources and it makes AP members competitive in the mobile news business.

Ads on the Mobile News Network allow us to supply you with the best possible comprehensive news application on the market.  We’ve gone to great lengths to make the user experience a positive one as we understand that a mobile device is very personal. We’re happy to see that user reviews and media coverage of the MNN have been overwhelmingly positive.

Developing mobile applications, especially native client applications, is a very costly proposition. They require not only start-up capital but ongoing investment in maintenance, upgrading operating systems, developing new features, building new releases and delivery platforms, etc. The MNN is not a one-time, self-contained, downloaded app, but a live application that ingests content from a central system on a real-time basis.  Multiply this by multiple carriers, device manufacturers and operating systems and you can start to understand the complexity and costs involved.  AP has a responsibility to operate the cooperative efficiently for its members and is not in a position to underwrite or fully subsidize these costs.  

Mobile screens vary in size but there is limited real-estate available for ads. We continually work to make ads on the MNN as unobtrusive as possible while ensuring they’re an effective vehicle for advertisers. We plan to monitor and make changes as necessary in future releases to maintain this balance. Currently the ads on the MNN disappear quickly and move to the end of the story you are on. We may explore other options in the future.

Some users have said they’d prefer a paid application as an alternative to the ad-supported model.  We have been exploring, and will continue to explore, this path and invite you to participate in a user poll so that we can better gauge the appetite for paid applications.

We encourage you to watch this blog for new information about the MNN applications, including information about how we’ll handle ads in upcoming releases. We sincerely appreciate your continued support of the Mobile News Network and look forward to your feedback in the future.

- Michael Boord , Deputy Director, Mobile Operations