Listen up: New NPR One app for Windows Phone

National Public Radio, an award-winning independent multimedia news organization in the U.S., just came out with the NPR One app for Windows Phone 8.1.

NPR produces in-depth global, national and regional news radio programs as well as programs that focus on music, science, pop culture, and current events.

The new, free NPR One app for Windows Phone 8.1–available not just in the U.S., but the UK and other countries–gives you a handcrafted audio experience. You won’t just get the latest news headlines. You’ll also get rigorously reported stories that will engage and even surprise you.

I’ll make no bones about it: NPR is one of my main go-to sources for news, and it has some of my favorite programs, including “Fresh Air,” a Peabody Award-winning audio magazine of contemporary arts and issues, and “Radiolab,” a quirky and addictive show about science, philosophy and the human experience.

Prior to NPR One, if you wanted to listen to NPR programs, you had to subscribe to their podcasts or tune in live. Subscribing via podcast is still a great option, especially if you want to listen offline–our built-in Podcasts app will serve you well for that.

A few features

The app’s simple, intuitive interface makes it easy to find and listen to your favorite NPR shows. You can skip, rewind, pause and as well as share stories to email and social-media platforms such as Facebook.

Pin NPR One to your Lumia’s Start screen for quick access–you have a choice of a regular or wide Live Tile. And if you have access to Cortana, your personal digital assistant for Windows Phone 8.1, you can ask her to enable the app for you.

So if you’re an NPR fan, check out this new app. And if you’re not, give it a spin, too—you may soon find it indispensable.