Have you heard of the new Quartz app? If not, it’s one that should definitely be on your radar. Owned by the company Atlantic Media, Quartz is a way to make news entertaining and fun. It came out in 2012 and has evolved greatly from an app that just sends notifications. It starts with daily news topics sent to you through a texting simulation with a bot. If you are interested in the topic, you can respond with a series of emojis to learn more about a topic or say “anything else?”
As you interact with the app, it grows more customized to what you want to read about. There is even an augmented reality portion which allows you to see things like the new Mars rover right in your living room.
The format of a text message conversation allows you to learn about things but in a relaxed and casual setting. You can stay up-to-date on current events in the same way that you text your best friend! It’s also a fun and interesting way to incorporate artificial intelligence into your daily routine.
Think of all the mindless apps this could replace on your phone. Add this to your home screen and before you know it, you’ll be able to hold a conversation on a wide variety of topics. And not just with a bot.
There is a sense of instant gratification when your message gets an immediate response. With multiple links, you can learn so much in a short span of time. This app is a more interactive version of reading the news every day and it is so easy to use.
With minimum settings, even if you finish the news that is queued up, it gives the option for a brief quiz. Zach Seward, Quartz’s executive editor and vice president of product, describes it as “somewhere between a ‘choose your own adventure’ interface, and a chat with a friend, and a serious news briefing.”
This app allows you to get short bursts of the most important stories with context and sprinkled with GIFs, emojis and sometimes even haikus.
“We want to be both informative and entertaining at the same time, and I think that’s very possible, but it sort of requires a constant weighing of the two,” Seward says. “Right now I feel like we have a very strong tone and voice to the app and I feel good about where it’s at, but it hardly matters what I think.”
So if you are looking for a new app to clutter your screen, why not make it beneficial? Pay attention to world and local news just by having a text conversation with a friendly bot that’s backed up by real news!
