A growing number of people, especially those in our generation, do not read the newspaper. Instead, they get their news from the Internet. We use our computers, but more importantly we use tablets and phones. While on a train to work, walking to class or sitting in our apartment, we can read our news when we want. Reading multiple sources with different views on a situation allows you to come to a better understanding. However, I’ve always felt that I spend too much time reading the news. I don’t want to spend my time sifting through articles I don’t like and stories that I don’t care about from multiple sources. Circa News wants to solve those problems.

Circa News is a sleek and clean news reader. The app was designed by the aptly named Circa 1605, Inc. Founded in 2011, this small startup company wanted to fix the problem of how we read news on our mobile devices. They employ an editorial team that pumps out about 25 stories a day.

Opening the app takes you to the Top Stories section. Underneath the header, you get a large picture of the most popular and recent story. Below resides a list of stories ordered by the date. Swiping from right to left creates an elegant cross fade to the next section of news. United States Politics, World, Technology and Science & Health make up the four remaining sections.

What makes Circa different is obviously not the way its content is organized but rather the way in which the story is presented. Instead of following the format of a traditional article, Circa takes a story and boils it down to one sentence. Swiping up from the bottom sends you to a block of more detailed information about the story. The number of small, grey dots on the right side of the screen indicate information about a certain story. If a particular story interests you, click the follow button in the header and it will be saved. Stories in Circa differ from traditional articles because they are updated with new information as it becomes available. Let’s say you followed a story on immigration reform in the United States. As more information about the topic becomes available, Circa notifies you of an update to your followed story, meaning another block or two of information has been added.

For me, this is the future of mobile news consumption. While it might not have as many articles as a conventional news site or news aggregator, Circa has the quality. You can quickly catch up on the news while texting back your friend and looking up where you should get lunch. Do yourself a favor, give this app a try.

Contact Austin Allen at [email protected].