This week the app in focus is called Flipboard. Flipboard originally launched only for iPad but has not spread to iPhone and Android smartphones. Flipboard, like the rest of the apps I have previously reviewed, is really good with news reading and takes it’s own intuitive approach to the user interface. I’ll keep this review short and sweet and point the difference that make Flipboard standout from the rest. First and foremost, no scrolling is need for this app. It’s take on reading is like a magazine, you flip through pages to continue reading stories, similar to Google Currents, but with a cool little transition effect. As usual, RSS feeds as well as most other websites and things can be added to your feed to make your news reading experiences more personalized. One of the biggest things that separates Flipboard from the rest of the apps previously mentioned is that it has heavy integration with social media. For instance, by adding the Twitter or Facebook source options, Flipboard will automatically find what stories, websites, and videos your friends are sharing and place them front and center for you to see. You can basically flip through your friends recent shared stories like a big magazine of your life. It’s a cool idea and it’s definitely caught on. It’s a great interface, and if you’re digging it’s comes at the whopping price of totally free. There’s integration with Google Reader, as well as with social networks, however there is no desktop companion site at the moment. There is a website that explains information on the app and development. Overall I like Flipboard, and it’s definitely a winner among users looking for a quick news reading fix with the ability to interact with friends across their social media life. Flipboard is worth the tour and worth the time to try it out.

Grab it from the Play Store for Android, or App Store for iOS

Also check out this video the developers made to introduce the app back in 2010.

-AJ