In case you’ve been out of the loop in the mobile industry, know that the Google Play Newsstand is now Google News. No, this is different from the website we that changed our tablet reading experience years ago. That one was a web app that has seen many transformations like adapting to look like Google Now, the addition of seven more language editions, joining the AMP bandwagon, getting optimized, as adding Local Source tag to give focus on local news.
A mobile app version was soon released which has also received updates like having a Google News Lite mode for regions with slow internet access and the addition of a ‘Fact Check’ tag to articles published. Google is serious with the app that it expanded the fact-check label for news in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico over a year ago.
The Google News app’s UI was updated July last year but it’s receiving again yet another overhaul. The app now uses better AI “to find the best of human intelligence”. Since the mobile industry is going the artificial intelligence (AI) direction, it’s only fitting Google News considers the change.
AI has been a concept we know from science. It began to enter the smart and mobile industry only a few years ago. We remember Lenovo started to invest in artificial intelligence and to bring more AI products in the works. There are AI processors available from Samsung while flagship phones released and yet to be released this year are adding AI to the system.
Most flagship phones this year are getting more “artificially intelligent”. There’s the LG Q7 with the Camera AI, Nokia X6, LG V30 with ThinQ support, LG G7 ThinQ, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Honor AI by Huawei, and the OPPO F7 among others.
Some other AI-related technologies and advancements include Vivo’s AI-Powered Super HDR tech, Samsung’s Bixby, the MediaTek Helio P60 processor with more AI functions, new Samsung AI processors in the works, and the artificial intelligence Lenovo has been working on.
If not artificial intelligence being added to the phone, then some mobile apps are getting it. Software updates are in the works as well to bring more AI. One perfect example is Google News with AI features which is now available on the Play Store. It now has an ‘Editor’s Choice’ badge so you know it can be trusted.
AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE). FOR YOU.
The Google News app offers artificial intelligence just for you. This is what the tech giant wants to offer: an app that provides you news and information you care about. Personalization is the name of the game when it comes to having a newsfeed. You don’t have all the time in the world so it is best that you already choose what categories you want to read about. Your briefing will be followed by the app in searching and showing stories that you want to be updated with.
Google News will present the top five stories you may be interested in–national, local, or world content–on different topics such as business, weather, politics, or sports.
FULL COVERAGE
Once the stories are listed, you can still tap on each one to read and understand the full content of the story. This is what Google describes as ‘Full Coverage’. The Android app shows you everything you need to know about a story or topic. In the background, the Google News organizes the information and highlights different perspectives, important people, FAQs, and even a timeline of key events. This eliminates further tapping and searching for other details you may want to know because everything is there in one page that has implemented Material Design.
The stories are presented in a tappable card-like format. The goal is to give you all the information and answers to questions you may be asking upon reading.
SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE
Google’s Newsstand is being integrated with Google News and the latter will have the “Subscribe with Google” feature. It allows you to follow and subscribe to trusted publications and sources with a Google account. You can pay more but it’s not really necessary because Google only shows content from reputable and reliable sources. A single tap will quickly connect you to publications that deliver quality journalism. No fake news here.
Download Google News from the Google Play Store
