If you've had an iPad for any length of time, you realize how awesome Flipboard is. If you haven't heard of it, let me tell you a little about it. It's a visually appealing way to keep up with your blogs, your twitter feed, your Facebook feed, as well as several other services. I personally only have my Google Reader feed and my Twitter feed hooked up, because those are the two I want to read regularly. It enhances both of these streams by using a magazine-type layout. You won't want to read your Twitter stream anywhere else after using Flipboard. You really have to click below to get a preview to see what I mean.
In addition to connecting your own services, you can select services Flipboard supplies, such as magazines in twelve different categories. Literally, you could sit and read for days on end without stopping, which is why I only have a few services on mine. Flipboard is coming to Android too, by the way.
Reading on the iPad in this format is so pleasurable that I wanted to find a way to do more of my Internet reading on it. Since I can't send my bookmarks to Flipboard, I found another service where I can send items to be read on the ipad in a similar pleasing format called Pocket.
Pocket is a bookmarking service. It works across all formats, which was a requirement for me. I do a lot of reading on a variety of devices. I wanted to be able to send something to a service where I could then read it in a pleasing setup. I found that sending things to Diigo and tagging them as "read later" never worked for me. Diigo works very well for bookmarking everything else, but I don't go back there for my reading list. I also use Evernote for a ton of stuff, but it's not great for a "read later" folder, because then it gets too crowded in there. So I was thrilled to find that Pocket is a great solution to compile Internet articles and websites in a folder where I keep items that I want to give "serious thought" to later on. *I can also send items from Flipboard to Pocket.Here are some of the features I like about Pocket:
- Links are viewable in a block format or a list format
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| Block format |
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| List format |
- As you read the items, you can click them as read to clear your list. Type A folks like this "checking it off my list" mentality. (I'm one of those folks.)
- You can choose to view the bookmarked item in a friendly, easy to read format or you can click to view it in its original format (the original website)
- If you really like something and want to share it, you have 12 different services in which to use. Sharing is always a plus for me, since I share all the time. This was huge requirement for me in setting up the iPad.
- Pocket works on iPad, iPhone, Android phones, Android tablets, Kindle Fire, as well as your Internet browser. If there is a more universal app, I haven't found it.
So, if you're like me and looking for ways to do more of your reading on the iPad, then have a dream reading experience with Flipboard and Pocket.
