Getting Started with NewsBrain
Authorization Screen
Sign Up or Sign In
When you launch NewsBrain for the first time, right after seeing this getting started screen, tap "Done" and then the one-time Authorization Screen will appear. You need to sign in to one of the listed accounts to connect with Feedly, which NewsBrain uses as its main source of articles. NewsBrain and Feedly don't grab information from the accounts or post anything to them. It is merely used to identify you. If you don't have any of the listed accounts, they are all free to sign up. Pick any of the services and you can sign up or sign in. Once you've done that, the screen will not appear again.
Browse the Articles
Once Authorization is done, articles will automatically appear! NewsBrain starts you off with articles of general interest. Page through them by swiping from right to left, just like pages in a magazine. To read an article in full, tap on it.
Swipe left for more articles
NewsBrain fetches more articles automatically as you move through the pages.
Express Your Interest
The mere act of tapping on an article to read it indicates you have at least a bit of interest in that article's topics. So that's all you have to do to get NewsBrain to learn! After some reading of articles, you'll notice articles reflecting your interests will appear more often. But you can do more than just reading to express your interests:
Those little yellow smiley faces in the corner of each article shows NewsBrain's prediction of your interest in each article. Since you haven't expressed your interests yet, they all start off with a neutral face.
If you see an article you find particularly interesting (or uninteresting), tell NewsBrain by pressing and holding on the smiley face. A slider will pop up. While still pressing, drag your finger across the slider to show your level of interest in the article. As you drag, the face will smile (or frown). When it matches your interest level, lift your finger.
Pop-up Interest Level slider
If you do this for a few articles, NewsBrain will start making predictions about new articles, and it will show you the ones it thinks are most interesting to you next. The more feedback you give NewsBrain, the smarter it will get. Soon, NewsBrain will be full of articles specifically of interest to you. You can read more about the learning process now or at any time through the help system - just tap the "?" button found on most screens.
Interest Profile Topics
See your Interest Profile
Tap the Profiles icon near the bottom of the iPhone screen, (or the brown striped icon near the top left corner of the iPad screen) to see your Interest Profile. Tap the profile name, and then the topics that appear, to explore the large topic tree and see how interesting NewsBrain thinks each topic is. You can set your interest level in a topic, as before, by pressing on a smiley face. That helps the learning process, but you don't have to do it, since NewsBrain automatically adjusts topics as you rate articles.
Enjoy the Smarter Magazine
There is more to it, but that's the app in a nutshell! Tap the Topics link at the top of the this screen if you want to read more, or tap the Done button to get started. As you use the app, you can tap "?" buttons to get information about a specific screen.
Have fun using NewsBrain!