Mobile News Network Launched for iPhone / iPod Touch

Reports are coming in from everywhere that the Associated Press and more than 100 of its member newspapers have launched the Mobile News Network, a service that enables owners of an iPhone / iPod touch to access the widest coverage available of breaking news, sports, entertainment, and business developments right from their handsets.

"We are excited to offer the first comprehensive mobile news web app and to have been selected by Apple as a Staff Pick. With a new generation of mobile devices on the market, like the iPhone, the time is right for AP to introduce a product that brings together our members' local news brands with AP's unrivaled coverage of international and national events," said Jane Seagrave, AP's senior vice president of global product development, in the press release.

AP's Mobile News Network is set to offer an unrivaled multimedia experience, providing a single access point for both news and advertising, national and local. More than that, users can select news from their hometown, business destination or favorite cities, share news, photos and videos and, of course, rate the stories they read on their portables.

"The mobile initiative with AP has the potential to create a single access point for news on smart phone platforms," said Lincoln Millstein, senior vice president and director of digital media for Hearst Newspapers, in the press release. "That's a big benefit for users, and a great opportunity for providers of local news and advertising," he added. Millstein was a member of an advisory group of news media executives from AP members who assisted in the planning for the cooperative project.

The network provides the widest coverage available of breaking news, sports, entertainment, and business developments for consumers on the go, according to the official report, with more than 100 news publishers at the helm, covering 16 of the top 20 DMAs.

The web app has been optimized for Apple's devices, and is availabile from apnews.com or via iPhone web application pages. Future versions of the Mobile News Network are said to include content from more newspapers and broadcasters, and will further be optimized for new generation devices.

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