News.me is an iPad app that shows you the stories you’re most likely to find interesting based on the people you follow on Twitter. There’s nothing particularly unusual there, since social news apps are a dime a dozen. But News.me has a few things that really set it apart.
First, in addition to seeing the top stories shared by people you follow on Twitter, you can click on a thumbnail icon for any of the people you follow — and then see articles shared by the people they follow. In other words, if you have a favorite blogger, journalist, comedian, or just a really smart friend, News.me will give you a news feed based on the people they find interesting, giving you a chance to see a tiny section of the world the way that person does without first signing up to follow all the Twitter users they follow.
Second, News.me is a partnership between The New York Times and bit.ly, and the companies have reached licensing agreements with well over 600 publishers allowing News.me to display full-length, ad-free articles.
Third, because of that licensing agreement, News.me isn’t free to use. You’ll have to pay 99 cents per week for a subscription, or $34.99 per year if you want a 30 percent discount.
The concept is interesting and the app certainly provides an attractive way to view the news. But I have to wonder whether people are willing to pay for this type of news curation service.
News.me is available for download starting today from the App Store.
