05/13, 2:10pm
Flipboard update launched
Flipboard has launched a new version of its popular news aggregating app for the iPhone and iPad. Following March's update which introduced user-created magazines, the v2.0.2 release adds a new Friends category in the Content Guide that can be used to quickly find magazines created by friends. Flipboard has also added new profile pages that provide details on readership and curation activities, as well as the ability to share content via SMS and to save images to the Camera Roll.
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03/27, 2:25pm
Gmail gets easier message navigation, bulk message handling
Google has updated the iOS Gmail app to v2.1, adding a pair of important changes. Users can now swipe left or right within an email to continue reading other messages, instead of having to return to the Inbox first. Selecting a message in the Inbox turns on Edit mode, making it easier to perform actions in bulk, like archivals and deletions.
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11/15, 10:23am
News reading app Flipboard has added a new Books category, integrated with Apple's iBookstore. The feature includes 25 sections of the most popular books at the iBookstore, letting users browse titles there without switching apps. If a person decides to buy a book, the title is fetched from the iBookstore and read in the iBooks app.
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06/22, 10:37am
New regions include Germany, Korea, more
Flipboard has released a important update of its iOS app, v1.9.3. After signing in with a Google account, the new version allows users to add YouTube videos and/or Google+ content to magazines. YouTube videos are taken from videos uploaded and shared via subscriptions, while for Google+ the app scrapes content from a person's stream and circles.
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06/22, 7:26am
Flipboard out now on Android, new features for iOS too
Flipboard is officially out of beta (and its short period of exclusivity on the Galaxy S III) and is now available as a free download (Google Play) for all Android users with compatible devices. The popular and innovative visual news reader app has previously established an extensive user-base on iOS devices and will now make its way on to Kindle Fire and Nook tablets as well. As with the iOS app, which also picks up some new features, Google + and YouTube video support has now also been added.
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05/16, 12:02pm
Offline reading gains Readability
The latest version of Flipboard, 1.9, now includes an Audio category, its developer has announced. The content is available through the Content Guide, and includes clips from NPR and PRI shows, as well as recommendations from SoundCloud. This includes access to lists and followed users, as well as highlighted content. Once audio is playing a person can continue reading other sections of Flipboard without it being interrupted; a menu option lets users control playback.
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04/26, 10:40pm
Economist forecasts wholesale move to digital
Most print publishing will be gone within the next 25 years, The Economist CEO Andrew Rashbass predicted in a presentation on Thursday. Paper magazines were at new highs, and his publication was hoping to keep demand hihg, but he told paidContent and others at Madrid's Paley Center international council that he was realistic about print going away. He was enthusiastic about tablet reading, which gave the company a possible avenue for a business model after years of uncertainty over a pure web version.
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04/17, 12:25pm
Read It Later becomes free, now called Pocket
The cross-platform Read It Later mobile app, which allows users to save web content for offline reading, has now been renamed to Pocket. What's more, the app has become free in the process. The app is available for Android and iOS devices as well as a version optimized for the Kindle Fire's version of Android.
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04/07, 12:10pm
Zeen to offer two-way magazine making
YouTube's main founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen have been developing a service that could both create and help read "beautiful magazines." Zeen currently has very few details, but its name is a play on the concept of a personal "zine" and suggests a way of aggregating news and other articles that can be shared with others. Social sharing will be a key ingredient, as both the privacy policy and offers to link accounts on Facebook or Twitter make it clear that this will be a regular feature.
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03/16, 2:40pm
Flipboard gets new iPad tweak
Flipboard stood out in the chorus of companies updating to take advantage of the new iPad with an update to its own title (App Store). The 1.8.2 change updates the rendering of images and text to scale properly to the 2048x1536 display. Its effect is "closer to a true print magazine," Flipboard said.
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03/01, 2:30pm
Content guides reach out to international readers
The developers of Flipboard have released a significant update to the iOS app, v1.8. One important change is the carryover of Cover Stories to the iPad; the feature was previously limited to the iPhone interface, launched on December 7th. Cover Stories pages highlight material from across multiple feeds, based on popularity.
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03/01, 1:20pm
Flipboard comes to French App Store
Air Studios has announced the launch of AirVinyl for the iPhone. Taking inspiration from high-end decks and systems of the '70s and '80s, AirVinyl includes a retro tape deck interface that allows users to create mix tapes and playlists that can be shared via social networks. Any playlists already stored on an iPhone will also be available as Mixtapes, and compatibility with iTunes Match allows users to stream music from their iCloud library. The iPhone version of AirVinyl is currently being sold for the introductory price of $1, while the iPad version sells for $3.
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12/14, 7:20pm
Flipboard credits iPhone port to 2b flips a month
Flipboard's use is set to triple in the wake of the iPhone version, the company mentioned Wednesday. The app writer told paidContent that the title reached over a million downloads in the first week and could more than triple the number of page "flips" from 650 million a month to two billion. While the smaller iPhone screen means more flips as a matter of course, it still hints that iPhone use might already be going beyond the iPad.
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12/08, 3:40pm
Google Currents already active
Possibly reacting to a last-minute leak, Google has already released its curated news app. Google Currents for iOS (App Store) and Android (Market) takes articles from a mix of technology and general interest sites, such as Forbes and the Huffington Post, and optimizes them either for the smartphone or tablet size. Readers can subscribe to get routine updates, including regular RSS feeds, Google Reader subscriptions, and Google+ feeds.
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12/08, 2:55pm
Google said to ship Currents as soon as tomorrow
Google's tablet reader software, previously referred to by the Propeller codename, will officially be called Currents, from current events. It may also launch as soon as Friday, AllThingsD reported. The product will compete with the likes of Flipboard, Zite, and Yahoo's Livestand.
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12/07, 1:10pm
Flipboard down due to popularity
Flipboard reported a rare desirable problem on Wednesday after its servers collapsed following the Flipboard for iPhone launch. The curated news app's creator cited "high demand" as bringing down its service. It had no estimated time for a fix beyond its returning "as soon as possible."
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12/07, 12:45am
Flipboard reaches iPhone at last
Flipboard helped kick off Le Web by launching an iPhone-optimized version (App Store). The now-universal 1.7 release both shrinks the layout to fit on the smaller screen and is also better optimized, accepting up-and-down swipes to navigate as well as side swipes. Along with iPad features, the iPhone gets a new Cover Stories feature first, where a handful of shared articles and photos are introduced and adapted over time.
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11/17, 4:00pm
Flipboard ready with promised sign-ins
Flipboard on Thursday should post an update to its iPad app (App Store, updates soon) that adds some of its more requested features. The optimized news reader now has an account system that allows multiple readers to share the one app. It also brings portability, so those who switch to a new device can get back to their exact setups quickly.
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10/28, 1:00pm
Google Propeller and Yahoo Livestand to clash
Two tablet-oriented web readers, Google Propeller and Yahoo Newsstand, could launch within days of each other. New leaks pointed to Yahoo's offering coming November 2, with Google coming either that week or shortly afterwards. The AllThingsD tip added that Propeller will have a "plethora" of media deals and expected both to equally support Android and the iPad.
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09/22, 2:40pm
Facebook music and video sharing unveiled at f8
Facebook continued its string of news at f8 by detailing its media sharing. Part of a new system of verbs that replace the generic Like, it focuses most on music: users can spot someone listening to a song in the live ticker and start listening to the same track. Services will still need to launch the separate app if it exists, but the method will let anyone listen to similar content if it exists in a subscription service.
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09/17, 12:35pm
Google Propeller rumor points to Google
Google's Propeller tablet app may be seen as a vehicle for the company's ad platform. A rumor Friday suggested Google would help both publishers and itself profit from articles by inserting AdSense ads into the formatted articles. The purported 9to5 sources added that publishers could charge by the article using Google Checkout to handle payments.
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09/15, 11:40pm
Google Propeller curates news on multiple tablets
Google is crafting its own alternative to Flipboard, Zite, and other curated news apps for tablets, tipsters divulged Thursday. Nicknamed Propeller, details are vague but would make it a rare cross-platform app, serving both Android and iPad users. Not much is known about what it does from AllThingsD's source, but Rackspace's Robert Scoble understood that it's "mind-blowing good."
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08/30, 3:00pm
CNN buys Zite in tablet drive
CNN on Tuesday confirmed rumors that it had bought Zite. The deal gives it control of the iPad news curation app (free, App Store). Zite will continue to run as a separate entity under CNN's wing but will get both the added reach and "advance the industry in a meaningful way," CNN's digital manager KC Estenson said.
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08/25, 3:30pm
iPhone app to finally arrive within 'weeks'
Flipboard will begin carrying movies and TV shows in the near future, Reuters reports. The developer's CEO, Mike McCue, says that he will take on the project at the end of 2011. The executive is refusing to comment on which studios have been approached; it is also unclear how the content might be formatted, though by definition the change will suddenly put Flipboard into competition with other iPad video apps such as Netflix and Hulu.
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07/25, 12:00pm
Talks ongoing for more ads
Flipboard has begun the process of adding fullscreen advertising to some of its curated feeds, an interview reveals. The first partner is publisher Condé Nast, which is inserting an American Express campaign into the official New Yorker stream. Wired, Bon Appétit and other magazines will also be saturated with ads as the year progresses. The next advertiser to join the fray will be Lexus, starting in October.
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07/11, 2:45pm
iPad study shows satisfaction higher year later
A new study by the Reynolds Journalism Institute suggests that iPad ownership happiness was even higher than it was just this fall. Having already understood that 94 percent of a group of 1,6000 iPad owners were either somewhat or very satisfied late last year, about 70 percent of a 561-person follow-up group was more satisfied again. Only four percent were less satisfied, and 81 percent said they didn't expect to buy a rival tablet in the next six months.
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06/30, 12:05pm
Mimics Pulse's pre-selected content
The developer of Flipboard has released a major update of the iPad app, v1.5. Three main changes have been made, including support for an infinite number of feeds, the old limit being 21. A new Content Guide makes it easier to find material by sorting through favorites and sections, as well as by searching for people, publications, sites or topics. One focus of the Guide is on Pulse-like curated streams, featuring publications like The New Yorker and National Geographic.
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06/03, 3:00pm
Covered digital world for 15 years
Veteran newsman Josh Quittner will be leaving the nation's largest publisher to join Internet startup Flipboard as its editorial director. Quitner has written extensively about the digital revolution during his fifteen years at Time, Inc., which included stints at Time magazine, the now-defunct new media magazine Business 2.0, and Fortune. Quittner is currently Time Inc.'s director of digital editorial development for the news, sports and business magazines. He had been involved in the negotiations to bring tablet editions of Time, Inc. publications to the iPad and Android platforms.
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04/14, 7:15pm
Flipboard gets cash and plans iPhone, Android
Flipboard on Thursday confirmed that it had taken a $50 million investment based on a $200 million valuation. The company received money chiefly from Insight Venture Partners as well as Comcast and a host of major and minor investors, ranging from Kleiner Perkins through to Twitter's Jack Dorsey, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Ashton Kutcher. The endorsement was based on enthusiasm for the concept of "social endorsement" that Flipboard's iPad app was creating, AllThingsD was told in an interview with Flipboard chief Mike McCue.
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04/14, 12:10pm
Developer looks to establish solid footing
iPad app developer Flipboard has signed a deal with the Oprah Winfrey Network, reports say. Under the agreement, the new TV network is being given dedicated space on the Flipboard homepage. There the company is promising sneak peeks, exclusives from the final season of the Oprah Winfrey Show, and gathered content such as Oprah.com articles and posts from Oprah's Twitter feed.
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03/09, 11:55pm
App update arrives just ahead of iPad 2 launch
Flipboard has released an update to its popular iPad app, adding Instagram support just days ahead of the iPad 2 launch. Users can now access Instagram images alongside content from other social networking sites, while the search function has been revamped to automatically search across the entire range of supported services and blogs.
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03/09, 10:05am
Zite intros learning iPad magazine app
Young startup Zite on Wednesday put out its namesake iPad magazine app (free, App Store) with a promise of a unique learning feature. While it curates Google Reader RSS feeds and Twitter, much like its rivals Flipboard or Pulse, it gradually shapes the feed based on a past reading history. It not only checks which articles are being read but checks how long they've been read, the size of the articles, and how interest is mounting on the web.
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01/19, 7:45pm
AOL Editions magazine app coming for iPad
AOL has taken its first concerted step into iPad apps with the tease of AOL Editions. The title takes a cue from Flipboard but, as teased in a video (below), may be more reactive. Instead of the user creating custom feeds, it would work based on interests and collate the content into a very stylized, magazine-like format with a clearer theme, such as music.
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12/22, 9:45am
Real software still on 'whiteboard'
An alleged Flipboard for Mac screenshot is fake, the iPad app's developer says. "We definitely believe the desktop is part of our future, but it's still on the whiteboard and not something we are launching soon," the company tells 9to5mac. "The desktop requires a lot of attention to design and UI and we'd like to take the time to get it right."
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12/21, 4:40pm
Could represent launch title
A leaked screenshot may represent evidence that Flipboard is coming to the Mac, according to Business Insider. The source of the image claims that the port will be distributed through the Mac App Store, which launches on January 6th. The title may be aimed at MacBook and Magic Trackpad users, as it will allegedly support iPad-like flick gestures for navigation.
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12/16, 9:55am
Flipboard for iPad gets Flickr, Google Reader
Flipboard today updated its iPad app (free, App Store) with Flickr, RSS and a much greater emphasis on two-way interaction. The new photo source gives users images from their Flickr contacts as well as favorites, groups and individual users. RSS comes through Google Reader and lets users filter by folders, shared items and starred items.
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12/02, 10:10am
Flipboard adds magazine layouts for sites
Flipboard today made a claim to becoming a full tablet magazine producer today by adding a framework to its iPad app (free, App Store) with special versions of sites as well as ads. Known as Flipboard Pages, the format takes the content from publishers and turns it into an HTML5-based, multi-page layout that more closely resembles a paper magazine. The conversions are automatic and will appear whenever a supporting site is shared on Facebook or Twitter.
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11/20, 11:55pm
News Corp iPad title may have Apple help
News Corp's tablet news project may have been jointly developed with Apple, a report this evening claimed. Using a combination of American media and its own sources, the UK's Guardian asserted that Apple engineers were helping a team of News Corp luminaries develop the project, now referred to as The Daily. Apple chief Steve Jobs and his News Corp parallel Rupert Murdoch would purportedly be confident enough as to unveil the project together, likely sometime in the next week.
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