In keeping up with the transformation of its basic apps into their “Material” design language, Google has now updated the look of its News and Weather app. The panel and card-type design now makes the app, which is built-in for some devices, look like Google Now. It also seems to be more competitive now with other news apps like Flipboard, News360 and even Google’s own Google Play Newsstand.
The News and Weather app comes pre-installed into the newer Android devices, particularly those that have Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, Kitkat and Honeycomb (okay now we’re craving for sweets). The panels now look more like your cards on Google Now and you will be able to add certain news sites on different categories to keep updated on your favourite sites without going to each of them everyday. You just swipe through the headlines and articles that you want (or not want) to read.
You can also add columns for topics that you want to keep updated on, like the latest social media news or all the Star Wars updates and rumours that you could possibly need. And if the news you want is location-based, you can also add specific places that you want to keep track of. The app also has a widget that you can easily add to your home screen for easier access to your News and Weather. There are also different languages to customize your news and of course, shareability is an important feature in any news app, and so it is very present here.
If News and Weather isn’t built-in your smartphone or tablet already, you can also download it for free from the Google Play Store. However, it is incompatible with several devices, including some Samsung ones, so better check first before getting all excited about having the app. In case it doesn’t work on your device, we’ve written about our recommended news apps for Android devices, so you might want to check them out too.
VIA: SlashGear
Last time I checked I’m in the U.S. and it said it didn’t support my country yet.
Does not support the US like Nathan said.