WSJ Launches BlackBerry App

Not everyone likes to key in URLs in their cell phone’s tiny Web browser, so if you’re one of those people, the Wall Street Journal just released a direct icon for the BlackBerry that gives you instant access from your device’s home screen.

More than that, it uses FreeRange’s new mobile publishing platform to automatically download and aggregate new WSJ content optimized for the phone. Readers can use the new app to stay abreast of business, finance and technology news and analysis from WSJ.com, MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com and AllThingsD.com, as well as keep track of favorite feeds. In addition, news headlines, article summaries, and previously downloaded stories are accessible out of wireless range, such as in the subway or on a plane.

Essentially, this is a similar setup to what AvantGo offered for years, except in a proprietary format that individual publishing houses can adopt.

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