The Los Angeles Times and Tribune Interactive have rolled out an iPhone application that gives on-the-go readers access to editorial content.

The application was created by Tribune's Apptivate.Me unit, which also develops mobile applications for Tribune's other media properties, such as Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and KTLA-TV. The application costs $1.99 and is available in Apple?s App Store, as well as on http://www.latimes.com

?In launching the next generation mobile phone app for the Los Angeles Times, we wanted to build a strong framework from the ground up,? said Jonathan Ozeran, manager of product innovation at Tribune Interactive, Chicago. ?By doing so, we?re able to build and deliver first-rate apps for our media properties and advertisers while making sure to provide new and unique experiences for users. 

?This also gives us a solid foundation and significant experience to work from as we become more nimble and adaptive to the evolving mobile space,? he said. ?By delivering a wide range of features like user section re-ordering, social sharing and photo galleries, we aim to create memorable and immediately recognizable user experiences that we hope will become habitual for our users.

?It also gives us a new springboard for listening to and having conversations with our users ? many of which have already been vocal about the features they?d like incorporated into future versions of the app.?

Tribune operates businesses in publishing, interactive and broadcasting. The company?s daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun.

On-the-go news
Readers can browse by different categories, including Local, National, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Living.

In addition, users can reorder sections they want to see first and turn off sections that they do not want to see.

Readers can save their favorite stories and share it with friends and family.

?With mobile apps, we?re able to extend our brand globally in entirely new and unique ways,? Mr. Ozeran said. ?By offering our apps worldwide, we?re able to both extend our user base and better understand how non-U.S. users hope to interact with our products and brands.

?Domestically, the recently launched app for the Los Angeles Times aims to be a top-of-mind source for mobile news and information specifically for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users who are on-the-go,? he said.

Readers can also use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and share content via email.

Offline updates
Additionally, users can browse the application with no connection required.

Although readers will not get the latest news when a connection is not available, they can view the most recently downloaded information in the application and all of their saved items.

?By advertising in the Los Angeles Times app, advertisers can extend their campaigns to the mobile app space where they can reach habitual users and also target users who frequently view certain content sections,? Mr. Ozeran said. ?In addition to making their promotion or campaign front-and-center within the app, they can incorporate a mobile-friendly landing site that loads right within the user?s existing app session.

?By building a strong framework and assembling building blocks, we?ve minimized the amount of effort required to deliver our content to various media and devices,? he said. ?Our number one feature request has been adding an iPad-optimized version to our portfolio and we?re certainly going to explore this opportunity in the near future.?

Final take
Rimma Kats, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York.