flipboard

Flipboard adds SoundCloud support for new audio features

Flipboard (free) is already many people's go-to app for flipping through the latest news and social network updates. But today, a new update lets you connect Flipboard with SoundCloud to offer audio clips created by major news services like NPR, and audio clips created by your friends and people you follow.

You can sign into the new SoundCloud component by using a previously created SoundCloud account, by starting a new account, or by using your Facebook account. Once connected, Facebook and Twitter posts, and any story that includes audio, can be listened to with a handy player that resides … Read more

The best way to browse news and social on iOS

Flipboard is a must-have newsreader and social network hub that lets you organize the info you want to look at and then flip through it like a magazine. Get started by creating an account with Flipboard, then sign in to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Once you're all signed in, Flipboard presents you with an intuitive layout of your social networks and some default news categories to browse. Touching a panel lets you browse through any of the default categories. But touching and holding a panel lets you delete it and replace it with whatever you want. To customize … Read more

How to get Flipboard on any Android device right now

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S III last week, one piece of the announcement was that Flipboard for Android would be exclusive to the device for a little bit after launch. But, thanks to an XDA Developer Forum member, the APK is out and available for download right now.

Installing the APK on your Android device is easy. Head on over to this XDA Forum post and download the APK. You can then either e-mail it to yourself, or add it to a Dropbox folder (or Google Drive, Box, etc.) to access it on your device. Once you have downloaded … Read more

No Flipboard for Android today, but soon

After much speculation that Flipboard was finally making its way to Android, app geeks were disappointed today, as the highly anticipated news reader did not debut at Samsung Mobile's London press event.

Rumblings in the industry suggested that Samsung Mobile would make the big announcement shortly after showing off its forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S III device, but those rumblings proved false as the show closed with nary a peep about preloaded app partners.

However, our colleagues at CNET UK and CNET Asia did get a glimpse of Flipboard for Android preinstalled on their S III demo units, so it … Read more

Google Currents 1.1 goes international

According to Google, the top requested features for Google Currents were international availability and quicker syncing, and with today's jump to version 1.1, Google has made these requested features a reality.

First, Google Currents is now available globally. This means that no matter where you are, if you can download an app through Google Play or the iTunes App Store, you can download Google Currents. What's more, readers can also add their favorite local blogs to Currents, giving them a truly international experience.

Second, Google Translate is now seamlessly integrated with Currents, which perfectly complements the new … Read more

Flipboard brings Cover Stories to iPad

Flipboard tonight unveiled a new version of its popular iPad app, an update led by the inclusion of Cover Stories, a feature that gives users a one-stop feed for the articles the service considers most relevant based on their social connections and what they've already read.

The new feature was introduced originally with Flipboard's iPhone app, and until now it hasn't been available for the iPad. But this new release makes Cover Stories a key component of the company's plan to make its app the best place for users to go to catch up on the … Read more

App users: iPhones are for days, iPads for the nighttime

When Zite's Mike Klaas examines usage data for his company's news aggregation app, something very interesting pops out: he can pretty much paint a picture of how his users are spending their days.

The upshot? People use Zite on their iPhones pretty much any time they have a few spare minutes during the workday and when they're in bed late at night. But in the evening, they settle in on their iPads for longer, more relaxed stretches of time.

The data are very clear on this, and it's a lesson that other news aggregators with both … Read more

Culture: Five predictions for 2012

Here at Geek Gestalt, every day is different. The world of geek culture is broad--sometimes bewilderingly so. A typical year's coverage can easily include stories on everything from Burning Man to Lego, aviation to 3D printing, NASA to tech startups, MythBusters to Pixar movies, and so on.

That makes coming up with predictions for next year in culture a difficult task--but we're here to serve, so that's just we're offering. Of course, trying to settle on just five ideas for 2012 means leaving a lot of things out.

Still, prognosticating culture's next steps meant talking … Read more

Zite for iPhone: An elegant, personalized reader

It's been a great week to be a news junkie with an iPhone. On Tuesday, iPad darling Flipboard finally appeared on Apple's smart phone. Yesterday, Google launched its aggregator, Currents. And today, completing the trifecta, Zite unveiled its all-new iPhone app.

Previously, Zite had been available solely for the iPad. It established its place in the increasingly crowded aggregator field by focusing on personalization--giving users something of a Pandora-like experience with news: Like something and want to see more from a specific publication or writer? No problem.

Now, the company--which was bought by CNN in August for a … Read more

Google unveils Flipboard-like Currents for Android, iOS

Google is going after Flipboard with its own digital newsstand application optimized for smartphones and tablets.

The company unveiled Google Currents, touting it as a central location for news content, video and photo feeds, RSS subscriptions and Google+ streams.

U.S. customers can download Currents application from the Android Marketplace and Apple's App Store and select which publications to subscribe to, as well what streams and feeds to follow. The application also includes a trending tab to find other popular items of interest.

Google said it has partnerships with 150 publishing partners, including AllThingsD, Forbes, and the Huffington Post (… Read more