AppleInsider Staff
In a pair of iOS app updates on Monday, The New York Times dropped subscription fees for unlimited article access, while live-streaming video app Periscope added profile creation options for users who lack Twitter accounts.
NYT Now
Version 2.0 of The New York Times app NYT Now drops a previous subscription paywall requirement, granting iOS device users free, unfettered access to all posted articles. Prior to today, The Times charged an $8 monthly fee for the service.
The update comes with a few user interface modifications, including a tweak that surfaces new articles to the top of user's feed for quick access to breaking news. A redesigned card-based UI further reduces clutter to present stories in a clear and concise manner.
Sharing features were likewise beefed up, as users now have the ability to send screenshots of story summaries in-app.
Finally, NYT Now is now compatible with password management app 1Password.
NYT Now is a free 15.2MB download from the iOS App Store.
Periscope
Twitter updated its popular live-streaming app Periscope with new profile creation options, allowing anyone with a phone number to sign up and use the app. Twitter accounts can still be used to create new profiles, but are no longer required.
In addition, users can change their profile picture using iPhone's built-in camera or uploading a photo from Camera Roll. Enhancements to the commenting system now allow broadcast viewers to directly reply to other members commenting on a stream.
The update squashed a few minor bugs involving verified Twitter badges, follower list sorting and broadcast history.
Periscope is a free 12.4MB download from the App Store.
Marko Zivkovic
Malcolm Owen
Andrew Orr
Christine McKee
Andrew O'Hara
11 Comments
RE: the NYT part of the story. This is great news, I love this paper's news. I hope this includes their opinion page as well.
[quote name="Macky the Macky" url="/t/186216/new-york-times-goes-free-in-app-update-periscope-moves-beyond-twitter-accounts#post_2722393"]RE: the NYT part of the story. This is great news, I love this paper's news. I hope this includes their opinion page as well.[/quote] Their opinion page seems like it'd make more sense as hamster cage lining. :lol: Occasionally, when they do some honest journalism, it's nice. Most of the time I flip past NYT stuff in Flipboard.
If they give away their content why would anyone ever spend money on the NYT? For their sake hopefully there is an advertisement business model built into this.
Don't expect any free newspaper ! An RSS feed is of more worth. It's a err, collection of umm articles that are designed to ahh pique your interest. Ad free, though it could be argued that NYT Now is a giant ad for itself.
How irritating that it's not the version that sits in the newsstand app.