Mon, Apr 23, 2012 | 13:36 BST

VG247 launches free iOS app: download it now

VG247 entered the newfangled mobile age today, releasing a whizzy free iOS app created by independent developer Shane McCafferty.

VG247 has launched its own iOS app. It’s available for download now.

The reader’s compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and requires iOS 5.0 or later.

Created by independent developer Shane McCafferty, the VG247 app allows users to access the site’s news on their iOS devices in either 2D or 3D views.

Content can be consumed through the app in a traditional 2D format, but can be can be switched to an alternate view of scrollable 3D tabs. Articles are opened by tapping on a tab and comments are accessed by tapping the comment bubble.

The app also has a button to switch to “live” mode, auto-updating stories every few minutes with no user interaction: leave the app open on your desk or in a dock and have the stories appear as they happen.

Said VG247 editor Patrick Garratt: “Shane’s done a fantastic job with VG247’s iOS app, and our users can expect plenty more from us in terms of mobile functionality in 2012.”

Go fetch.

43 comment-trail-alt Posted in: Mobile, VG247, iOS, iPad, iPhone
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43 comments

#1

Colin Gallacher
23/04/12, 1:40 pm

It’s very slick and live mode will probably break my phone during E3 :D

#2

Vroom
23/04/12, 1:40 pm

Oh hello.

I made this collection of ones and zeros over a few evenings as I was pretty tired of using VG247 in the iOS browser. The app is a nicer, more comfortable, way to view VG247.

It’s just a reader. You can’t log in and post or fancy things like that but I hope you enjoy the alternate way of consuming your VG news.

It has a lovely ‘Live’* mode. Just pop the app in live mode by tapping the button in the lower right corner. The app will then auto update and vibrate when VG247 is updated. Looks lovely just sitting there on your desk.

Don’t forget to try landscape mode. That’s nice too. Oh and I hid an alternate theme in there for you to find. !;)

Shane.

*
Do note however that this live feature only works when the app is sitting there open because if you close the app then yes, of course, it’ll go asleep. To provide background updates it’d need push notification and they cost money to run and see that app?… that app was free !:)

#3

TheBlackHole
23/04/12, 1:44 pm

Thank christ. It’s about time! :)

This site crashes the browser on my ipod and won’t even load on my blackberry.

Hopefully this will allow me to check the site properly. Good stuff.

#4

MWorldII
23/04/12, 1:45 pm

Do it for PS Vita :)

#5

Patrick Garratt
23/04/12, 1:51 pm

A proper mobile site’s on the way. It won’t be long now.

#6

Dark
23/04/12, 1:52 pm

No love for Android? :(

#7

Patrick Garratt
23/04/12, 1:54 pm

@6 – Not right now, I’m afraid. Potentially in the future. Hopefully the mobile site will make things much easier all round.

#8

awaltzforvenus
23/04/12, 1:59 pm

Awesome! Pretty nicely designed, too. Fits in well as a companion to the main site. Didn’t see any way for me to log in with my account, though, for comments and all. Any chance of that coming?

#9

Jet Black
23/04/12, 2:00 pm

At long last! Whoot!

#10

barchetta
23/04/12, 2:09 pm

Nice, had trouble on iPad with refreshes so this may help thanks very much.

‘Hidden’ alt theme looks swish too!

#11

Vroom
23/04/12, 2:10 pm

@8 Not right now I’m afraid. It’s a viewer. Might add logging in etc at some point. I’m sure any mobile site that the VG247 team have coming will have you covered for logging in and posting happiness.

Thanks for downloading.

#12

StolenGlory
23/04/12, 2:10 pm

VG247?

There’s an app for that. ;)

#13

barchetta
23/04/12, 2:11 pm

I take it the ‘full fat’ mobile site will add ipad resolutions too?

#14

Patrick Garratt
23/04/12, 2:27 pm

@13 – I’m not sure, to be honest.

#15

Chockster
23/04/12, 2:30 pm

Woo, and indeed, hoo.

Nice work vroom. :)

#16

barchetta
23/04/12, 2:30 pm

No worries. Just got some new specs and everything is looking hyper real at the moment, so looking at a 2x iPhone display on the iPad is quite noticeable.

/Curses loss of personal anti-aliasing!

#17

Freek
23/04/12, 2:33 pm

If you have a responsive website you’ve got everything covered. Phones, tables, iOs, android, doesn’t matter anymore you can be optimally viewed in everything with a web browser.

#18

Vroom
23/04/12, 2:34 pm

@16 Those pixels are big, loud and square aren’t they.

Don’t put it near an iPad 3…

#19

TheBlackHole
23/04/12, 2:35 pm

fuck it, I take it all back. This only works with iOS5.

Still can’t look at the damn site away from my PC.

FFS :(

#21

Vroom
23/04/12, 2:38 pm

@17 I agree to an extent. Very very few sites are up to this.

GI.Biz is lovely across all formats yet most are heinous.

#22

Freek
23/04/12, 2:42 pm

It requires a redesign yes, but it isn’t a strange thing to do. CSS3 Media queries are now widely supported and it is worth the investment as it future proofs your site. It becomes flexible and you can even have the option to serve up higher res content for iPad and iPhone with little extra codding.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com

and http://www.boingboing.net/

Are two really nice examples.

#23

Zarckan
23/04/12, 2:49 pm

Yay done!

#24

Sadismek
23/04/12, 2:53 pm

@20 MY EYES!

Hope this comes to Android. Not everyone has an Apple device, I’m afraid :( .

#25

ManuOtaku
23/04/12, 2:53 pm

Great news for those who have those devices, sadly i dont have them, i will be missing out this T_T, i only own a tablet and it is a samsung galaxy tab, i won it, hope you do it on android too in the future, congrats guys.

#26

DGOJG
23/04/12, 2:54 pm

Really gorgeous app, flows really nicely but only looks good on my phone. Please optimise for iPad soon guys!

#27

M. K.
23/04/12, 3:32 pm

iOS really? How old do you think your readers are, twelve? Words can’t describe how disappointed I am.

#28

g3korn
23/04/12, 3:50 pm

Android?

#29

Da Man
23/04/12, 3:56 pm

iOS!?!

Who do you think we are, mentally handicapped??

We don’t use iOS, we don’t drive Ferraris, and we don’t do our hair in the morning. We play Heavy Rain, live on 4chan and use Linux.

#30

ManuOtaku
23/04/12, 4:25 pm

#29 you should have started the paragraph this way… we the nerdy mans don´t use…. 8D

#31

Eregol
23/04/12, 4:44 pm

@Vroom
If we clubbed together, say like a Kickstarter thing, how much do you think you’d need to implement log-in and post support?

#32

Anders
23/04/12, 7:14 pm

I would’ve much rather seen the site go the responsive route, to be honest. Especially since the app isn’t universal. Adding responsiveness probably would’ve taken less time than building an iOS app from the ground up as well.

Still, good to have on the iPhone.

#33

Lounds
23/04/12, 8:30 pm

When are you launching a mobile site?

My phone doesn’t struggle running the full flash version though (HTC desire s) but I guess flash uses a lot of my data?

Would be nice for an Android app, I’ll download this app on my iPod and check it out.

#34

DarkElfa
23/04/12, 8:38 pm

Android doesn’t need an App, We can look at it properly on the phone’s browser. :P

#35

Lounds
23/04/12, 8:45 pm

@34 true.

#36

manamana
23/04/12, 8:47 pm

Congrats Shane – its awesome! Looks good and works fast. My favorite newsticker from now on. Now its on you VG24/7 to deliver the news. Pronto! :-)

#37

Golden
23/04/12, 8:58 pm

If I owned a mobile device I would deffo get this. Good work sir.

#38

Ben
23/04/12, 9:08 pm

Bit disappointed with the fact that it’s iOS5-only. Why no iOS4 love?

#39

shogoz
23/04/12, 11:32 pm

iphone sucks, there are way better brands of phones out there that do more and give you more freedom over the programs being installed. good luck posting up a video 247 and noone being able to watch it because you have to pay for flash hahah

#40

Charlie Sheen
23/04/12, 11:37 pm

wait you have to pay for flash? where do i pay?

#41

manamana
24/04/12, 12:45 am

@shogoz: who needs flash? Vids work perfectly, thx. Troll harder next time.

#42

G1GAHURTZ
24/04/12, 7:15 am

Can we have an iPad version?

#43

Vroom
24/04/12, 10:44 am

Chaps. Thanks for the kind words … And amusement.

As for log in and commenting.. Well I’d have to have access to an API or something and that just might not be worth it with a nice mobile site on the horizon.

I’ll have a look at supporting <5.0 when I get a chance.

Shane.

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