Learnist
Learnist gives you expert information on hundreds of topics at your fingertips. This is a screen shot from a Learnist promotional video.
Thursday, March 13, 2014 | 2 a.m.
Editor’s note: There are more than 1 million Apple applications, or apps, available for download in the App Store and a similar number of Android apps available on Google Play. Staff writer Brian Nordli weighs in on one of those apps he deems worthy of being the Sun’s App of the Week.
Phone App: Learnist
Where can you find it: Available in Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play.
Cost: Free
What is it: Learnist is an app true to its name. Released on Feb. 26, Learnist is a hybrid social media and education app.
From the moment Learnist opens, users have access to hundreds of topics that range from random trivia to informative how-tos at their fingertips.
Topic boards are curated by other Learnist users and contain a series of articles synthesized into bite-size paragraphs.
The design allows users with short attention spans or limited time to digest information quickly, but it also features links to more extensive articles for those interested in taking a deeper dive into the subject. Meanwhile, users can follow friends and share topics with them.
The site makes it easy to get lost learning about dozens of random and informative topics. A random browsing uncovers information on zippers, sleep, how to make a better salad and what historical events happened on March 12 (for those wondering, President Franklin D. Roosevelt conducted his first fireside chat on that day in 1933, and the Girl Scouts were founded).
While Learnist can be random, it still fulfills its main function — curating topics to inspire its users to learn.
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