The last time we heard from Scope, the all-in-one social aggregator, they were opening up a VIP program for interested beta testers. We've been part of the VIP program since it began, and some interesting features have been introduced which are now ready for the prime time and pushing out through Google Play. With this update, Scope is taking a big step forward into becoming a personalized news service more than a social media aggregator.
Scope has gone from operating with just a handful of social networking services, to now containing over 20 different services -- including your favorite Android resource. That's right, one of the new news services contained within Scope is an "Android News" feed, provided by Android Central.
The UI has also been updated, with a slide out menu that replaces the previous swiping between feeds. It's pretty slick, and brings a little more order to things than endlessly swiping between your feeds.
One change which may disappoint some users though is the introduction of in-app advertising. This isn't a decision that the developers took lightly by any means:
The last change is the addition of ads to Scope. We want to ensure that we can keep Scope's servers running and fund its continued development. It wasn't a change we made lightly...we spent 2 months testing different ad partners to find one that was unobtrusive and provided useful targeted ads.
Let us not forget, that just maintaining and developing a service such as Scope isn't free, and it's only right that the developers should seek financial assistance to keep running a first rate app such as this. The ad's are removable though, in one of two ways.
We also wanted to make it easy for users to disable ads. So we're giving users two ways to do that. One is a simple invite system - the more user's you get to join Scope the longer you can use it ad free. We think its pretty innovative and provides users who might not be able to afford a Pro account an ad free experience.The other is a Pro subscription service that disables ads, removes Scope branding on shares and allows some additional professional options. We have a lot more features planned for Pro subscribers! We've priced a Scope Pro account very competitively compared HootSuite.
It's still the same great app for those who really do look for an all-in-one solution. The paid options are subscription plans as opposed to a one-off purchase, priced at $1 per month or $9.99 per year. Pro users do get some additional features like the ability to hide the apps hub with more planned for the future. Paid plans all come with a free 7 day trial, so you get to see whether or not you think it's worth the outlay for your before pulling the trigger. Grab a copy of the latest Scope update from the Google Play link above.
