Reddit News has officially been renamed ‘Relay for reddit’ and is still our favorite app for browsing Reddit

Without a doubt, Reddit News was my personal favorite Android app for browsing posts on Reddit. After a request from Reddit to change the name of the app (due to a change in Reddit’s licensing policy to access their APIs), the app’s developers threw together a poll to see what their user’s thought. After much deliberation, the app has officially been renamed to “Relay for reddit” starting today.

There were a few other interesting names in the running too, things like Frontpage, Narwhal News, Upvote, RedNews, but in the end it was Relay for reddit that was ultimately decided upon. Those that already had the app installed on their device will notice the name change happening automatically and possibly moving to a new spot in their app drawer. As for future news, development, help, and feedback, the official Reddit News subreddit will transition over to the new Relay for reddit one.

With a slick Material design and more features than you can shake a stick at Reddit News Relay for reddit is the perfect Reddit browsing app for your Android tablet or smartphone. You can find the free ad-supported version or a “Pro” version in the Play Store right linked down below. I’d strongly recommend everyone check it out if you haven’t already.

Reddit News (Playboard) | Reddit News (Play Store)

Reddit News Pro (Playboard) | Reddit News Pro (Play Store)

Announce your own dorkiness: SoloCam is the Selfie Stick for wannabe news anchors

If you thought Selfie Sticks were a symbol of pop culture degredation, I’ve got bad news. We’ve reached a new low. A company from Israel has launched a new IndieGogo campaign that takes the infamous Selfie Stick and replaces the handle with a handheld microphone. But it doesn’t stop there: the SoloCam app adds a teleprompter,  green screen feature, and video effects to your creation, allowing you to announce how dumb you look to your followers in real-time.

Warning: watching this cringe-worthy video may cause your to face contort into positions so awkward, it may burn a hole in the brain’s of those around you. I can think of only two reasons that purchasing the SoloCam would be worthwhile:

1. As a gag gift for a news anchor friend


2. As a children’s gift for a little kid obsessed with news anchors

In the first case, it’ll likely collect dust and in the second case, you’ll be dooming your child into a dorkdom of bullying. You might as well have named them Dorkson Weebleton Bajeebles the 9th.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m not exactly a selfie stick sympathizer. I can appreciate that for the solo traveler or wilderness adventures it may be worthwhile stuffing one in your backpack. However, morphing that into a news anchor experience is an absurd and unnecessary proposition that very few people will find useful and all will find overtly amateur.

Would you take anyone seriously who used a SoloCam? Would you use one yourself? Should we shame an intern into using one for coverage on the CES show floor?

If you’re able to swallow your pride and want to buy one, head on over to the IndieGogo campaign where you can snag one for as low as .

Google announces 3 new initiatives for promoting eyewitness news video on YouTube

Nearly everyone has a smartphone with a camera these days, so when something big goes down in the world you can expect more on-the-scene footage than a news crew could ever hope to gather on their own. Much of that footage gets uploaded to YouTube, so Google feels like it’s time to start putting an emphasis on it.

They’ve announced 3 new initiatives for those who find themselves seeking out every bit of footage they can about local and world happenings.

Firstly is the YouTube Newswire, which is a curated feed of videos from the events Google feels are most interesting. The stories would all be validated and verified by Storyful, a social news agency in cahoots with El Goog.

Next up is more for journalists. They call it the First Draft Coalition, a movement that will help educate journalists on using eyewitness video in their stories. The main benefit will be a site ready-made for journalists that will train them on how to verify an eyewitness video, including showing them the tools to do so and the research needed to facilitate such a task.

Finally, the WITNESS Media Lab promotes human rights movements by giving activists a platform to share their story. YouTube and WITNESS will produce ongoing video series about several issues, with the first being the exploration of the impact bystander eyewitness videos have on delivering justice in police brutality cases.

All of this comes at a very interesting time where other companies are beginning to latch onto the trend. Twitter curiously has their own curated eyewitness news platform coming up, details of which were just revealed for the first time today. Their angle is that you can follow specific topics and events — the Baltimore riots, for instance — and get quick and easy access to Tweets, photos and live video coverage through Periscope and short user-recorded videos.

The difference? We don’t have to wait for YouTube and Google’s project — it’s already waiting for your curious minds to explore. Use the links straight ahead to check it all out!

• YouTube Newswire


• First Draft Coalition


• WITNESS Media Lab

[via YouTube]