News/Start pages
Newsmap
Overview
Newsmap is an unusual web app in that it visualises the changes in the Google News web app. It is a treemap with an algorithm to create the mosaic look. Newsmap categorises the news in so doing showing patterns in news developments across themes and countries. You can select from various categories like business, technology, sports, entertainment and health or a selected country. By clicking on a headline you are directed to the original news page. Everything is color coded so you know which story goes with what topic. Whilst this aids understanding the mosaic it is not at all visually appealing. August 2009.
Newsmap
Conclusions
Mashup of Google Reader with a treemap
Not a serious contender for mainstream news aggregation but useful if you wish to track changes in news developments across the globe.
Related Apps
Megite
Overview
Megite is a news aggregrator focusing on real time news from selected websites and weblogs. It uses categories like business and entertainment. It tracks blogs to rate the prevalence of stories it displays. In this sense it is explicitly reliant on the validity and relevance of blogs. News items are listed by number which is not helpful. Each item includes discussions and related stories which take up more space causing the need to scroll to read the all the stories. August 2009.
Megite
Conclusions
A different type of news aggregator by tracking blogs delivers a different form of results. It will interest those who wish to follow blogs rather than mainstream websites. The design is rather heavy on the eye.