Google News and the iPhone

Posted on | October 20, 2008 | Comments Off

The news search system offered by Google is now available to users of the Apple iPhone mobile telephone. This provides a convenient way to check the latest world news when a computer is not available.

According to a May 1st entry on the Google News blog, a “full-fledged version” is now accessible on the iPhone in thirty different nations. It can also be viewed on the iPod Touch handheld device. Like computer users, iPhone owners can access Google News at news.google.com. A screenshot provided on the blog shows that it appears similarly to Google News in a typical web browser, except for lacking the usual lefthand column with links to archives and feeds.

This additionally increases the benefit to web sites of having their articles appear in Google News results. Web site operators can submit their sites for inclusion in these results; blogs are not accepted, but some relatively small news outlets are added. Google generally prefers sites with original content to those which republish articles from other sources.

However, it is of little use to have iPhone users finding your web site if it is troublesome or impossible for them to use. Businesses and individuals who do not have access to an iPhone can test their sites for iPhone compatibility by using an online or software-based iPhone simulator; some of these are more realistic than others.

Google News enables users to search for articles from a large database comprising thousands of sources, including newspapers, internet-only organizations, agencies, television stations/networks, and other media. Aside from the titles, thumbnail images, and descriptions which appear in results, Google doesn’t host or create any of this content.

News results are not sponsored, and Google claims that no articles aligned with particular political beliefs are given priority over others. Its web site explains that articles are chosen and ordered based upon computer calculations, not human decisions.

The iPhone was introduced by Apple in early 2007. In addition to its function as a cellular telephone and handheld internet access device, the iPhone has SMS messaging, high-resolution digital photography, and voicemail capabilities. The Apple web site currently prices it at $399-499, depending upon its memory capacity.

The somewhat less expensive iPod Touch ($299-499) is an MP3 player which also plays videos, allows for the direct purchase of music from iTunes, and can be used to read e-mail (unlike earlier iPods).

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