A few weeks ago, popular iOS magazine-format app Flipboard became available for Android. This free app offers a fresh, easy-to-read way to find and sort news. My first impression of Flipboard is that it is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Flipping between articles is as simple as a swipe up or down.
Setting up feeds is simple. Search for the media you would like to include in your feed and click on the plus sign beside each entry to add them to your account. I was able to find most local and national media easily. Depending on the city you live in, Flipboard has a city ‘feed’ option that brings together a number of different media to give a comprehensive look at a particular city. For the Toronto feed, I like how blogs and websites are mixed in with newspapers, but it would be great to see magazines included in the mix as well. However, these can be added to your account separately.
One issue I found with feeds is the inability to see other sections without accessing a website. Flipping between headlines is simple, but it would be great if I could jump to the sports section, for example, view the headlines and click on the article I would like to read.
Articles can be shared through social media. Your social media accounts can be added on as feeds on Flipboard, which is very convenient. This makes it easy to track comments and share links through tweets or retweets to followers. Articles can also be saved for later reading through programs like Instapaper.
One social media program that I think should be included is Pinterest. While a lot of content is text heavy, there are many pictures available, depending on the feed, for pinning. It is too bad this option is not available to users.
If you’re looking for an easy way to collect and read news while you are on-the-go, you cannot go wrong with using this app. Flipboard does a great job presenting content that is easy-to-read and share, and that is all anyone can ask for from an app like this. Download it if you have not already. This app will be a great addition to your smartphone.
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Rob Kirsic writes the App of the Week column for Toronto Standard. Follow him @robertkirsic.
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