Here then is a features summary of the News Refinery:
| Aggregation | Collection of all the headlines from multiple sources |
| Customisation | Creating my newspaper, with multiple pages |
| Database / Filing | Classifying and filing (archiving) headlines and stories in folders |
| Search | By date, source, author, content (keywords), concept |
| Alerts | Notifications on keywords, breaking stories; multiple device support |
| Summaries | Quick, brief story summaries, especially if headline is short or cryptic |
| Daily Email | Just in case there is no web access; also email of marked articles |
| Similar Stories | Stories like the one I am reading |
| Classification | Directory of Headlines for navigation by category |
| Recommendations | Based on what other people are reading and overlapping interests |
| Offline Access | Sync stories with my computer (store locally) so I can read them offline |
| Sharing | Putting stories in common folders to allow others to access them |
| Email / Forward | To friends; also keep track of what I am forwarding to whom |
| Discuss / Weblog | Comments on stories; Use to create user-generated content and communities |
| Table of Contents | Single Page ToCs for magazines so I can see all stories on 1 page |
| Translation | For reading stories in other languages |
| Filters | Remove duplicates (e.g., same story from wire service) |
| My Addition | Allow for addition of new source by giving URL |
| In-Context | Place the event / story in context, provide perspective, chronological events (timeline), related stories from other sources |
| Favourites | What others are reading and where, like Amazon’s Circles |
| Learning | See what I am doing and learn, become smarter, monitor interests |
| Repeat Search | Search for certain keywords at specific frequencies of time; email results |
| News Browser | Custom front-end to better navigate news; add filters to narrow |
| News Plus | Like VCR+, link online-offline; easier access to stories in print |
| Extensions | To Discussion Forums, Press Releases, etc. |
| Visual Appeal | Create a 2D/3D Map of stories; use colour to depict age of stories |
| NewsBar | Like the Google Toolbar which sits on the desktop for alerts, quick links |
| Search Others | A single window search on various news sites; email results from all |