The Associated Press (AP) has announced its Mobile News Network (MNN), a new native application for iPhone and iPod touch, is now available for free download from the Apple App Store.

The Mobile News Network, based on the previous web incarnation, "automatically detects location, allows readers to browse full stories while out of network reception, and provides navigation customization... viewers [can] save stories of interest and flip through photos and videos without delay," according to an AP release.

In an April interview, AP VP and Director of strategy Jim Kennedy told the Weblog: "There are new points of entry for the young consumer, sometimes they're based on content, in some cases they're based on device."

AP is trying to latch on to the iPhone's incredible success in the US. Speaking of delivering local news on mobiles, "Our hope is that it becomes a standard button on the US-distributed iPhones," he said.

The application also seems to embrace the rise of citizen journalism. MNN has a "Send Report" option, allowing users to report first-hand accounts and send photographs directly to AP editors.

The AP release follows last week's launch of the International Herald Tribune's iPhone-optimized site.

Source: AP Press Release