Through time, it is safe to say that most things are transitioning to the digital era, and some are becoming trailblazers in their particular field. This is like how the Curio app turned journalism up a notch because it does not publish online articles; they turn articles into a podcast.
With the rise of the popularity of podcasts, I am hooked on how convenient and interesting it is as people can share their ideas with the world through audio. I am amazed at how the Curio team came up with the genius idea of turning news articles into curated audio files on a mobile app.
I believe that people should learn more about the features of the Curio app as it provides convenience by integrating technology with modern journalism. Check below how to download the app on your phone and what things you can enjoy on the app.
- Changing The Game For Journalism
- Obtaining Quality Content From Publications
- Exploring The News Podcast App
- Improving The Listening Experience With These Features
Changing The Game For Journalism
For the longest time, we were conditioned that news was meant to be read in newspapers, which eventually lead to us listening to the content on the radio and later watching the content on television. With the advancement of technology, the course of journalism changed, adapting to the call of times, especially in publication.
I am so used to read articles online because they are convenient as I only need to tap the article for access. It is also easy to find news on various mobile apps and even on different social media platforms. The biggest advantage of this setup is that I can access the article and information as soon as it is published in real-time.
However, a team of developers pushed this norm of publication a little further. I discovered that the Curio app transforms news articles into beautifully narrated audio files. The team wants us to have access to the news even though we are on the go. Now with the Curio app, we can listen to the news anytime and anywhere.
According to the team, they wanted us to be knowledgeable, be smarter, be more empathetic to the world around us, and be happier. They wish to do this by keeping us updated with things happening worldwide.
Starting With News Podcast App
The team started to materialize its vision in 2016 when Govind Balakrishnan and Srikant Chakravarti founded the team. After a year, they successfully release the Curio mobile app on Google Play Store and iOS App Store.
At present, the app is free to download on both platforms, and the Curio app makes use of a freemium model. I used the free version of my account for quite some time before subscribing to the premium plans available. There are also in-app purchases on the app to improve my listening experience.
Upon installing, the app required me to sign up using my Google account or Facebook account. For those who already have an account on Curio, you can log in by providing your email and password.
Obtaining Quality Content From Publications
I had a great first impression of the Curio app because I liked the clean user interface and sleek design, which makes it look professional and organized at the same time. Curio immediately provided an overview of what to expect on the content of the app upon installing through a quick tour.
It says that Curio aims to make life more interesting by listening to exclusive journalism that is handpicked from the finest publications. This is true because they have over 50 publications curated on the app, wherein they translated and produced them into audio files.
The publications included are the globally recognized ones like The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, etc. There are also available specialists titles for those looking for specific publications across fields like MIT Technology Review and Aeon, Wired, and many more.
The Curio team claims that they also curated and personalized my experience on the app as they carefully selected every story. I have to agree on this one because all of the available articles, news stories, or magazine features are interesting and informative at the same time.
Translating Articles Into Audio Files
As mentioned, Curio translates the news articles and magazine features into audio files because they believe it is the most convenient way to keep us, the users, updated with the important information around us locally and globally.
The Curio team hired professional voice actors to read and record the news articles. It is why the quality of the recordings is of high quality with the addition of the clarity of the voices of the actors. Overall, it makes my listening experience better because I can easily comprehend the story.
One downside of reading an article is that there are times that it sounded awkward. It is probably because of the phrasing of the words since the articles are meant to be read and not to be listened to. Although, the recordings of the stories are still understandable.
Exploring The News Podcast App
I love the application's user interface because it is easy to explore and does not give me a hard time to find things. It makes sure that the experience is somehow personalized through the tabs available on the menu located at the bottom of the home screen.
The first tab is For You, which shows the recommended articles to listen to based on my interests. The app curates my history or list of the audio files I listened to in the past to check the usual topics or tags I am into.
I do not need to spend time looking for articles that might spark my interest anymore.
But, sometimes, I do want to search for a specific article that I wish to listen to. I can then use the Search button to find articles or audio files by typing in some keywords or tags.
Subscribing For More Content
I like how the listening experience on the app is not affected by intrusive advertisements. The team ensures that even without a subscription plan, I can have an ad-free experience. However, the free account is only given up to 10 free tracks that I can listen to; if I wish to listen to more tracks, I need to subscribe.
There are two available subscription plans in the Curio app: monthly and yearly. You can avail of the monthly plan by paying $7.99, which includes the following features: ad-free, listen offline, unlimited downloads and bookmarks, and curated and personalized.
Meanwhile, the yearly subscription plan costs $59.99, which I think is a great deal because I can save 37%. I have access to all of the features mentioned on the monthly subscription with the addition of a free trial feature for seven days.
Improving The Listening Experience With These Features
The premium version of the account entails an offline listening feature wherein I can access unlimited ad-free listening, offline, and online experience. It is true that I can download any audio file on my device, which can be found on the Library tab.
I have an option to pre-save the file or not. Since I am always on the go, I usually download the files to listen to them even while working or while visiting places without an internet connection.
I can add audio files to the My Queue feature on the Library tab because the app allows autoplay. It means that after one audio file, the app will automatically play the next audio file I added to the list. Moreover, the tab shows my recently played files, making it easy for me to listen again if I wanted to.
Lastly, the app allows me to bookmark articles or audio files. I can find these bookmarked articles on the Library tab that gives me an option to download them or add them to My Queue list.
Enjoying Other Features Of The News Podcast App
It boasts that it allows users to find a time we never knew we had where we can hear stories that we will love no matter what we are doing. I agree with this because I can save so much time from searching for articles to read or even listen to on the app because of the organization of content.
The last tab on the menu is the Playlists which includes the pre-made list of the categorized audio files on the app. These are collections of related stories or tags; some are based on business and industry, health, humanities, politics, science, and many more.
Lastly, the app allows syncing of data across devices except for the pre-saved or downloaded audio files because it will only remain on the particular device it was saved on. It made my experience on the app better because I do not have to worry about searching the topics I am interested in again.
Conclusion
The Curio app indeed changes the game for journalism because it translates the news articles into audio files like a podcast. They hire professional voice actors so that the quality of the recording will be ensured alongside the assurance that the content comes from reputable publications.
Last updated on December 28th, 2022 at 06:24 pm
