Two iPhone apps that provide coverage and information about the Casey Anthony trial are best-sellers in the paid news category of the iTunes Store.
A new app, "Casey Anthony with Live Stream" of news, video, audio and documents, from Progressive Lifestyles, has live streaming about the murder case from four different news feeds. It was rated as No. 1 as of Thursday; another, from Hearst Television, "Casey Anthony Updates," has been in the App Store longer and only recently fell out of the very top spots to No. 4.
Each app costs 99 cents.
The Hearst app, now in Version 2, lets you follow along with the trial, and incorporates a live trial blog that is featured on the website of Hearst's Orlando TV station, WESH 2 News.
There's also an "Ask the Judge" feature in the app — also on the station's website — where you can email questions about the case to the station's legal analyst, retired judge O.H. Heaton Jr., a nationally recognized expert on the death penalty.
The Hearst app is quite "rich" in information with extensive photos, background and documents about the case. That's not surprising, since this is a huge story for the Orlando station, with the trial taking place there.
"WESH was the first Orlando station to devote its entire daytime schedule to continuing daytime coverage of the trial," said Media Bistro. "They also stream court proceedings live on their website and maintain several Casey Anthony-related Twitter accounts, including @caseyupdates and @judgeperrysays."
Still, the hunger for all-things-Anthony has surprised even WESH's digital media manager, Gabe Travers.
"I think it’s safe to say we never guessed it would have hit as high as it has in the App Store," he told Lost Remote. "For WESH, an app for the trial was a natural extension of our extensive coverage on the trial and just of the state of the industry."
While the app doesn't have live video "in part because of the cost associated with providing it," Lost Remote noted, "the on-demand clips have been popular."
"I’ve seen strangers waiting in line at local theme parks watching Casey Anthony videos on their phones," Travers said. "We realize in reality many people can’t sit down and watch the trial for hours each day."
And indeed, the Anthony apps may just be the next best thing.
Related stories:
- Defense in Casey Anthony trial prepares to wrap up
- App Addicted: 'Supergay' iPhone game delivers hero-powered gay pride
- Now showing: More than 100,000 iPad apps
- Sneaky app makes your iPhone 'play dead'
Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.