National Public Radio has had an official Android app for years now, but it wasn't particularly pretty then, and it doesn't look any better now. Fortunately the organization has now released a separate piece of software that doesn't look like it's put together by donations and held together by aging strings of code. NPR One is a new radio streaming app that puts out stories from the national organization and its many local affiliates to provide a personalized, easy-listening experience.

NPR One doesn't let users read articles like the standard app, but in a way, this is a good thing. The app has a singular focus and a clarity of purpose. Users can pause, skip around, and favorite stories in a way similar to the NPR website, but there isn't anything extra on-screen to clutter up the experience. In the end, the app provides greater control than listening to a local station using TuneIn, but it's obviously only really worthwhile for dedicated NPR listeners.

As with anything else NPR-related, the app is free to use, though donations are welcome.