Bay Area News Hack 7.6.3 + Redeem Codes

This app is advertised everyday on the front of the San Jose Mercury News so I thought I would give it a try. I think the app is good overall, especially since I don't have the time to read the paper everyday but may hear about an article that is of interest, then I can go read it on my iPhone. The disappointing thing about the app is that, even though I subscribe to the paper, I would have to pay extra for this convenience. I think this should be included in my subscription and subscribers should given the option to just subscribe to service but not the paper (then pay for the service).

Not working now. This app constantly is crashing upon launch from my iPad Air.

I subscribe to the SJ Mercury News paper edition. Being a paid subscriber and creating yet another account is required to use this app. The app gives me access to the articles, but most photos and diagrams that appear in the paper are absent. The most annoying part is the video ads that start automatically before articles will appear. This happens even when I am on the cell net instead of WiFi.

It is sad that a proud news organization has implemented such a poor app. Technically, be prepared for freezes, sudden disconnects, and a level of frustration. Content is poorly organized, poorly maintained and generally even more frustrating. Latest news focuses on yesterday's (or earlier) news, not what has happened since the newspaper was last published. While the sports department makes an effort to keep it fresh, old reports still dominate. The comics section is not updated completely every day. It is obvious there is no editor assigned to manage content accuracy and quality. Find another app if you want the latest news. CNN isn't too bad, and CBC and CTV very good for fresh international news.

This app was never especially good, but over the last couple of months it has become virtually unusable. It frequently stalls for more than 30 seconds when displaying an article, and often completely hangs and needs to be restarted. The video ads are incredibly annoying; a button to skip the ad appears after five seconds, but pressing the button repeatedly works less than half the time. The rest of the time you're stuck watching for more than a minute. Abandoning because it's become intolerable...

Once the articles are downloaded, switching between the is quite fast. Additionally you can save your favorites, so there are some advantages over the Mercury News website. Unfortunately, a large unnecessary blue bar along the top and an ad along the bottom cut off about a third of your viewing area, so the reading space seems quite cramped. I do currently subscribe, but I'm unlikely to renew.

the closest thing to getting the same quality of news as the paper. even the ads don't get in the way and are sometimes worthwhile. the interface designers have made an elegant, user friendly, and very useful phone interface for getting the news that matters to us fast. if only all program designers were so progressive and end-user focused!

The app works as expected, but this update fixes the bug where you didn't have to subscribe to read. It's like the website now in that you are prevented from viewing articles without paying. I won't be using the app anymore or reading The Mercury News. There are many MANY sites out there that publish the same exact stories without requiring fees. As if the Merc has Pulitzer quality reporters!

Despite all the poor reviews, I actually really like this app and am totally bummed that I can't figure out how to renew my subscription. It's a simple one touch quick review of the area's top headlines and seems to be always up to date with stories that I haven't read in my newspaper yet.

So many reviews talk about the 30 day trial not being clear.

It's clear as day folks!

Right on the first page in the App Store it clearly states 30 day trial then $1.99 for 90 days.

App works great on my iPhone 4, no crashes.

Now, is it the best news app I've ever seen? No it isn't, but for a local news app it's great. Doesn't have to compete with the USA Today app because it's completely different.

Some say you can find all the information free in other places but I'm guessing it's not nearly as convenient as having it in this app.

If your convenience isn't worth 2.3 cents a day then go ahead and find the info somewhere else! ;-)