Virtually every news organization has its own smartphone app with all the same content you can get on the traditional website, but that only gives you one perspective. What if you want more? The alternative is to use an RSS reader or jump between multiple sites and apps, all the while reading long stories on a small screen. Circa, which has just launched on Android and hit 2.0 on iPhone, offers a different approach. This app breaks up the news into bite-sized chunks fit for a quick read on a mobile device so you know what's what in the world.Circa's editorial staff does all the hard work of scanning multiple news sites and adds the important points to a timeline for each story. It also lists citations for each bullet point so you can dig into the parts that intrigue you most. Stories that you're particularly interested in can be added to your followed list where you'll see push updates as new information is added by staff.
The app uses a light UI with a number of Holo design elements on Android. However, it doesn't go so deeply into the Android aesthetic that the new app on iOS looks out of place. On the iPhone side of things, the update brings an iOS 7 aesthetic and background updates.
The different categories are arranged as swipable columns, but you can also access each one from the left-hand navigation menu (hamburger navigation on Android). When you're reading a story, the swipe gesture just moves to the next entry in that category rather than the next section. Circa also has the new pull-to-refresh animation on Android, which is a nice touch.
The animations are buttery smooth in Circa--each page fades cleanly into the next when you swipe, and there is a subtle sideways movement at the same time that makes the entire experience rather delightful. You might find yourself swiping around just because it looks so neat. The Android app also has a homescreen widget with a very similar swiping animation.
Circa is free and it only takes a minute to sign up. It's definitely worth a look.
