We knew CNN could make an Android app -- our headline "CNN's Android tablet app a model of how to present an overflow of news" on the Honeycomb app pretty well summed that up, if we do say so ourselves. But one thing that was missing was a companion application for smartphones. That hole has now been filled.
CNN just released its Android smartphone application. And it's just about the perfect mix of overkill of breaking news, video, still images -- and the all-important "iReport," or the ability to document news yourself and sent it in. (No, we will not call it "citizen journalism.")
The application is as intuitive as it is overwhelming. You're greeted with a host of news in a number of categories -- top stories, U.S., world, politics, justice, entertainment, tech, health, living, travel and opinion -- and those are just for CNN's Lindsay Lohan coverage. (Zing!)
You have easy access to CNN's treasure chest of videos, though you'll have to sit through a 5-second advertisement to watch them. There are ads embedded in the stories, too, but they're not intrusive.
There's also the ability to share stories via e-mail or through the usual social networking sites you might have linked to your phone, or you can go a step further and link them directly to the CNN application.
All in all, it's a great news app from a great news organization. Our only complaint thus far is that it took so long to get it. Check out our video review and grab the download links after the break.
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