July 21, 2010   App Store, iPad

Flipboard turns social network content into a virtual magazine

The latest hotness wandering around the blogs is this iPad app called Flipboard, which turns your favorite social network content into an easy-to-read magazine-styled layout. It does look good — the idea is that pictures and text are all pulled in from various social feeds, and then assembled together by the app to make a full-color, full-featured magazine that you can flip through instead of pulling up various feeds and/or running a bunch of different clients. We saw a similar app at WWDC this year that pulled content from RSS and styled it in a magazine fashion.

Personally, I’m not entirely sold — I have the same problem with this app as I did with RSS readers for a long time, which is that I like to see content in the format it’s generated for. If someone likes something or posts a link on Facebook, I’d rather see what it looks like in the same space they created it for, not crammed into an app’s magazine-style formatting.

You may make the argument that information is increasingly growing context in-sensitive, and you’d be right — I do use an RSS reader now, after many years of trying to read blog items on their own blogs, and social networks are growing more interchangeable as they fight to find their own spots in your attention.

Flipboard may work well (and at the low, low price of free, it’s hard to argue against at least trying it out, though word is that the servers are hammered at launch), but I think there’s still something to be said for seeing your tweets in your Twitter client and your friends’ pictures on Flickr. I’m not quite ready to completely separate all of my social network content from its original form quite yet.

Flipboard turns social network content into a virtual magazine originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Flipboard turns social network content into a virtual magazine originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it:
Share

[via | The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)]

  • InsideFlipboard

    @thetealeafXO Christmas will be here soon! :) Yes, you can add a lot more to your Flipboard than just what your friends post. We have categories full of great suggestions like National Geographic, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, The Economist and so on. Plus you can search for even more! It’s very customizable. Let me know if you have questions when you have your iPad, I’m @FlipboardCM on Twitter.

  • musemic80

    @InsideFlipboard is it coming out anytime soon? i am really looking forward to it.

  • thetealeafXO

    I’m getting an iPad 2 this christmas, and I know the FIRST app I get will be this one :D Also, does Flip Board provide other columns and articles other than what my friends are posting?

  • Mickstah

    Android?

  • metallibro

    Background music is the cover of the song —> “Flim” – Aphex Twin. Very cool :)

  • CNUanMan

    Dang. It’s apps like this that REALLY make me want an iPad.

  • Athlon2o0o

    You should make a Google Chrome Webapp for this.

  • Zantor135

    You guys made the best app for Ipad to date. Sorry Infinity Blade but this app rocks.

  • z3158755

    Hey it’s the guy from Put This On

  • InsideFlipboard

    @SoreThumbSociety We recently announced that we are working on an iPhone version, due out this summer.

  • uktech

    This app is FREE!.. Thank you. I love it along with the rest of my family,

  • boxweasel

    @c4rlob I think you mean their cover of the Aphex Twin song. Original is better.

  • mattbologna23

    Bad Plus did a good cover of the song, but it’s originally an Aphex Twin track from “Come to Daddy.”

  • c4rlob

    I LOVE that they used the Bad Plus song “Flim” for the background music.

  • SoreThumbSociety

    No iPhone 4 version?! Come on! Smaller screen yes, but many more pixels to make.. flip-whatever- shine. By the way, went over to Best Buy today to check out the iPad2. Resolution isn’t very stunning, & I’ll add that both camera’s are fairly poor. iPhone 5 is on the way soon guys, would be foolish to exclude millions of us small-screened iOS users. In addition, my revised long-term 2011 iForecast, after playing on the new iPad, is this: Thud. Yawn. Repeat. IMO, wait for the 3rd generation pad

  • cheeyi93

    Awesome vid :) with nice effects. I love Flipboard!

  • topheecheesecake

    The music is “Flim” by the Bad Plus. Originally by the amazing Aphex Twin. :)

  • kiermel

    I love the iPad version is the best I’ve seen ;-)

  • SuperZetroman

    Saw this actor for Flipboard at the Camarillo Outlets, cool guy, guess he is promoting for Pocodot as well

  • icoopers

    Stunning iPad! Love it!

  • DantendoDS

    I really wish this was for the new iphone and ipod 4g

  • curtoegrosso

    @boxlightbox Agreed. But it gets a lot funnier if you imagine that is Zach Galifianakis talking that way.

  • SmashinGit

    This makes me want to get an iPad.

  • bernardvukas

    I love the Aphex Twin remix in the background…. Awesome!! :D

  • MaxCandies

    He looks so enthusiastic.

  • cellodad808

    What fascinates me is the possibilities that this medium has for education, learning and teaching. Imagine what a high school teacher could do with with a simple means of aggregating relevant content from multiple sources and distributing to students.

  • soulrunna

    Oh my, I love this asian girl.

  • Loki11467

    My question is does it collect everything? Because I don’t want everything. And since I follow over 600 people on Twitter it means about 1000 items per day will be on my flip board. Which really makes it useless because I can’t browse all that stuff everyday. If I can pick and choose items via say Twitter by choosing specific people I follow or bookmarking specific Tweets then its perfect.

  • dpmduran

    CUTE…cute..very cute and the app is also interesting!

  • BaselXXX

    Wait a second, so this is an app that depends on your friends to keep you informed? My friends are all lame and vain. They post Lil Wayne videos and articles about stuff that I’m not interested in.

  • GlobalEctropy

    Heard about this last night on Charlie Rose and wanted to see. Love it!! When is a tablet pc version coming??!!!

  • EdouardMadec

    Great video. Looks like a great app too.

  • upemorygsu

    I want to use this for course content!

  • paulc206

    I love the idea. We’ll see how it works. The toughest part about using social networks to filter content is that not all my friends are equal. Some are on my list because they are awesome friends but good lord NO I do not want to see yet another link to failblog, thanks. So, besides the heavy lifting of aggragating and presentation, this will work best for me if it also has a way to tag, filter, rate, prioritize, etc. the sources And it my dreams it caches stuff and works offline. :)

  • ghostd0wn

    these guys funded or wat cuz this vid looks classy

  • dkddkddkd007

    dude, you should put down the Ipad and ask out that girl sitting next to you!

  • vincentviga

    Music is cover of Flim by Aphex Twin from 1997.

  • Luukweb

    ok. android version please. :]

  • adamada68

    make one for ipod/iphone pleasee. then it could be a more portable magazine.

  • chicagodeath

    Hang on a sec, “Music: “Flim,” by The Bad Plus”? Shouldn’t Aphex Twin have a credit in there somewhere?!

  • maurizioADD

    I like it

  • stratman7000

    i want one soo bad too

  • chuydrum1

    Apple rules!HATERS!!!

  • 18512363

    muy bueno!!!