Staying up to date on the news is a full time job by itself. Keeping yourself informed can control the better part of a work day if your interests are varied. There are innumerable applications, some quite capable, that can assist you in staying up to date on just what is going on. A new contender is throwing its hat in the ring today that is likely worth a look.

Meet Winston, an app for iOS that sucks down your feeds, cuts the content to size, and then reads you the news, saving you from the work of physically reading a single thing. If you commute, or simply want a way to catch up after work, the app could be a fit for you.

Launching today is the second build of Winston, following a self-described ‘sneak peak,’ filling out its capabilities and function to make its use more harmonious with social channels.

Here’s the gist: when you first fire up Winston, you are prompted to select a few categories of news that you find interesting. I picked politics and technology, which suit my personal jollies, and the application, after asking for access to my location, prepared me a briefing.

This is the key part of the app: once in the main interface, a tap on the ‘Briefing’ tab will read to you, with images and sources, news briefs, and if you have linked them, content from your social networks. The intelligent application’s robotic voice is surprisingly agreeable, even if, as I learned today in testing, it has a hard time pronouncing the names of Vice President Biden and President Obama.

It also knows what time it is in your city, and what the weather is. For a video run through, head here.

Forgivable language quirks aside, it’s a compelling, quick experience. For the already dedicated news hound, Winston could be used as a gathering tool for topics too niche for daily determined tracking, that you still want to keep an eye on. Its interface remains somewhat less beautiful than that of more polished applications – Path here, in regards to design, reigns – the application’s core experience has nothing to do with looking at its design. Instead, Winston speaks to you.

The app connects to the Apple TV by design, so if you want to fire up the app on the big screen, and have Winston talk you through what you need to know, that too is an option.

Winston remains early in its development. But its promise to take what matters, condense it, and then read it to you is a resonating experience. It would make the world’s best alarm clock, if you will.

If you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, give it a spin. It’s free and you can snag it here.

Top Image Credit: BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives

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