Msnbc.com has released a free iPhone application -- built in conjunction with Seattle startup Zumobi -- that allows users to quickly access the news of the day by clicking on a colored peacock feather. For example, if you're looking for sports news just click on the green peacock feather. Politics is shown in blue, while science and tech appears in yellow.

It is an interesting way to display and segment the news, with the main menu showing 12 categories. You can also choose a feed of all of the news.

The app also shows the Twitter streams of TV personalities such as Al Roker as well as NBC shows such as Meet the Press, and it allows users to quickly post links to their personal Twitter accounts.

Redmond-based msnbc.com -- a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC -- also is announcing that Best Buy is the flagship advertiser on the new app. As part of that partnership, Best Buy is running a new mobile campaign that provides links to its deal of the day as well as the company's Twitter feed.

Zumobi, a Microsoft spin out, has been on a roll lately with a number of high-profile apps for media brands and retailers. It also recently unveiled the iPhone app for the Today show, also a property of NBC.

I've been a frequent user of The New York Times' iPhone app over the past several months, and one thing I don't like so much is the slow load time.

In my initial trials, the msnbc.com app doesn't appear to have that problem, so it will be interesting to see which one I end up spending more time on for my national/international news.