The Times has chosen to keep things relatively simple in their Windows Phone app, but that's a reasonable choice given the depth of content on offer. The opening pivot view has pages for top stories, news, business, sport and section list. The first four of these give access to the most popular content, and reflect the make-up of the paper copy of the newspaper.
Each story gets its own page, with headline, by line, associated images (and videos), plus full article text. Tapping on an image shows it in full screen mode, with an accompanying caption; and if there multiple images associated with an article, you can swipe through them, slide-show style.
The section list page provides access to other topics and content carried in the newspaper. For example, there is a section for The Times' editorials (Opinion), and for the regular supplements, such as the monthly science themed magazine Eureka and the weekly car and technology focused InGear. The main sections (news and sport) are also broken down into sections (e.g. politics, education, UK news, markets).
Each of these contains the last fifteen stories published by The Times, with content drawn from the daily newspaper, but supplemented by additional content that is published through out the day. The index page of any section can be pinned to the Start Screen for fast and convenient access.
The Times apps does an excellent job of bringing the most recent content from The Times to your Windows Phone device and, overall, offers a slick experience, making good use of the Metro design language. However, there is room for improvement; it would be useful to be able to access content from early dates, a search feature would be a big plus, and content pages could be updated with sharing and bookmark options. Even with these gaps, if you're a subscriber to The Times this is a must download app.
The release of The Times app is also a big win for Microsoft and Nokia. The Times does a lot of marketing for its mobile apps, and now Windows Phone will be included in those campaigns. Moreover, it is exactly the kind of heavy hitting app that gives real strength to a UK focused look at the app catalogue.
Marketplace description:
The Times Win 7 app offers specially designed editions of The Times and The Sunday Times. It combines the best journalism with interactivity, including graphics, photographs and exclusive videos. The app will bring you incisive news, analysis, features and coverage from Britain’s most experienced political reporters, foreign correspondents and award-winning columnists and sports writers, including Caitlin Moran, Anatole Kaletsky and Dominic O'Connell.
Have The Times delivered to your device every morning. Enjoy a 30-day free trial of The Times app and get award-winning journalism at your fingertips.
The Times app can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Marketplace for free. The app comes with a 30-day trial subscription to the Times, after which a paid subscription will be required (from £4 per week).