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Popular reading app Instapaper is now free on iOS and Android
Thanks to a new subscription model it plans to take on, Instapaper's making its mobile applications available at no cost starting today. That said, the reading app does plan to lure in users to a premium tier it recently created, which costs $3 per month or $30 a year. If you recall, last year Instapaper was acquired by Betaworks, a company that also owns websites Bitly and Digg, so this recently adopted business scheme is part of the goal to continue growing and developing the read-it-later service. Those who choose to go the premium route will get access to features that won't be on the free version of the app, such as unlimited highlighting, text-to-speech playlists and others that haven't been announced yet. Having solid competitors like Pocket meant that Instapaper had to change its pay-for-play ways sooner or later, and this is definitely a great start.
Pocket 5.0 wants to make reading what you love even easier
Pocket founder Nate Weiner introduced the next phase of the app formerly known as Read It Later at the company's first-ever press event this afternoon. Pocket 5.0 puts the focus squarely on the user experience with intuitive features that know what you save most and how you're consuming it. Among the new additions is Highlights, an automated service that collects and surfaces your saved content based on your interests, sites you visit most, authors you follow and tags you've created within the app. According to Weiner, Pocket created Highlights to address the fact that while most users have saved more than 100 items to the app, many of those items after the 30th entry tend to go unopened. Pocket now marks items in your list with color-coded badges based on impact (Best Of), popularity (Trending) and length (Long Reads and Short Reads). In addition to knowing what you're reading, Pocket 5.0 also knows what you're reading it on and adapts appropriately. On mobile, the new app automatically pulls up five "Mobile Highlights" to make content discovery quicker. To that same end, the company's streamlined the app's navigation with a swipe menu that allows users to search multiple categories, including Highlights, My List, Videos, Favorites, Archive, and items Shared to Me, for those articles suggested by your friends. The update is available today on iOS and Android on November 20th with the web refresh scheduled for sometime in December. Weiner also announced a new dev tool called Pocket Preferences. Preferences allows third-party apps to easily recommend content to users based on the items that they save to Pocket. That service is now available on Zite, but will roll out to other apps "soon."
Pocket redesigned on the web: overhauled article viewer, enhanced navigation and more
Hot on the heels of releasing a freshly designed application for iOS 7, Pocket is now switching its focus to the experience it offers on the web. The save-for-later reading service says the revamped site takes a lot of cues from its mobile apps, presenting a much more polished UI with major performance improvements throughout. Browsing Pocket has been made easier thanks to added support for keyboard shortcuts, allowing you to easily archive, favorite and jump across stories you've queued up. The Article View, which is perhaps the most important section, now features an all-new layout that can automatically adjust depending on the content being read, as well as being able to display Retina-class images within articles. Pocket's makeover can be enjoyed on most major web browsers starting today, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and and Internet Explorer 9 or higher.
Pocket for iOS 7 offers automatic syncing, hyphens
That's right, the iOS 7 refresh of the save-for-later app formerly known as Read It Later is now available with hyphens. The seemingly miniscule dash addition (which automatically adds hyphens for a more refined justified layout) is part of a redesigned reading experience that also includes automatic syncing. With "Instant Sync," the company promises that content saved on any device will automatically be pushed to the iOS app, meaning you won't have to waste precious minutes of your life waiting for that study on the rejuvenating effects of video games to appear. The update also includes full-bleed images, a fullscreen article view and an increased focus on typography and font adjustments. For more, check out the source link below.
Pocket updates its iOS and Mac app with new 'Send to Friend' sharing feature
Pocket changed its name from Read it Later one year ago today, and the company is celebrating its first anniversary with an update that brings a new sharing feature to the app. Pocket's latest version has a completely redesigned Share menu that includes a "Send to Friend" feature. This option lets you share content directly within the app using just a few taps. You can add a comment or include a highlighted quote from the article in a message that will be sent out to your friends or family. The recipient(s) will receive an email with a link to your content and a notification within Pocket if they have the app installed on their device. Also part of this new feature is an inbox that stores content that is shared with you. Pocket also announced today that its users save more than 35 million items per month, and its network of developers and publishers has grown to almost 12,000. Pocket is available for free from the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store.
Pocket for Safari and Chrome updated with tag autocomplete and more
Pocket, the handy app that lets you "pocket" articles from the web to read later on Mac or iOS, saw a noteworthy update to its companion plugins for Safari and Chrome today. Among the notable new features is the auto-completion of tags, along with the ability to save articles from Reddit, Twitter and other sites to Pocket with one click on inline badges added by the plugin. In terms of fixes, the update addresses the following: Improvements to the display of the Pocket save link on Twitter.com. In Google Reader, clicking the Pocket button now saves the selected article. Better experience when saving pages while not logged in. Scroll position no longer jumps to the top while typing tags in Safari. You can get the Pocket app for iOS and Mac for free from the App Store and Mac App Store, respectively.
Pocket for iOS gets native sharing to Facebook, simpler option to delete articles
Good news are in for those who are avid users of Read it Later Pocket on iOS, as the handy application's been updated with some social tools and a few UI improvements. For starters, version 4.3 now allows readers to share content directly to Facebook (Sina Weibo, too) without ever having to leave the app, while a "Delete" option was added to the Archive button in order to make it easier for folks to trash any article. Pocket also announced it beefed up the text preferences in the article viewer by including an increased font size, as well as noting that it's taken care of some known Evernote-related bugs, among others. The Pocket refresh can be downloaded now from the App Store link below, or, what's likely the easier route, folks could just grab it straight from their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Pocket announces digital publishing partnership with Matter
Just last week we mentioned that Pocket, formerly known as Read It Later, was growing its little empire of features and various apps, but hadn't yet landed on a solid monetary plan. Well here that comes now: Pocket has announced a partnership with a Kickstarter-funded digital publisher called Matter, teaming up to bring Matter's content into Pocket's readers, wherever they happen to be. Matter is a subscription-based content service, where you pay just 99 cents a month for a series of well-written pieces and editorial insight. And Pocket's made a deal to bring that content into its readers. So without installing or downloading anything else, you'll be able to access Matter's material directly, as well as use all of Pocket's various sharing and other features while doing so. It's a pretty smart plan, actually, though of course it will all depend on the quality of Matter's content. As The Daily has shown us just today, charging a subscription for digital content is a tough game to play, and one that quite a few smart people have failed to win just yet. But all of the ingredients are here: Pocket has a large audience of users who appreciate high quality content, Matter has a lot of supporters (through its Kickstarter campaign) also willing to pay for a good read and the groundwork's been laid in terms of making Pocket's interface and feature set very appealing. We'll probably look for more partnerships like this from Pocket in the future, and see if delivering this content is enough to earn these companies the money they're looking for.
Pocket for Mac gets a big update, better Twitter, Facebook, and Evernote support
Pocket used to be called Read It Later, and it actually did fairly well under that branding, as I remember. But the app was revamped to Pocket a little while ago, and since then, has been growing a little empire of apps designed to save content on one device, and pass it around to any number of various outlets. Pocket for Mac has just recently been updated to version 1.1, and there are quite a few significant updates still rolling out of the development team. The app now includes hooks into the native support of both Twitter and Facebook in Mountain Lion, as well as support for multiple accounts in Twitter. Evernote sharing has been revamped completely, so that's easier to use. There are new keyboard shortcuts, and the team has introduced a new URL scheme ("pocket://") that seems like it will be more important in future updates. There are also some fixes, including a much more responsive dock badge, which is a nice bonus. Pocket for Mac is available right now, and it remains completely free.
Pocket brings its 'read it later' service to Mac App Store, keeps its free status
We know Pocket has had a strong presence on iOS, Android and other platforms for quite some time now, but today the service formerly known as Read it Later announced it is now making its way to a bigger Cupertino screen. Naturally, Pocket's new application isn't much different than its mobile versions, meaning it'll offer the same offline access, save-for-later features as it currently does on the mobile front but with a more "native Mac experience" -- of course, this includes the ability to sync across multiple devices, stream videos and share tidbits via those cherished social networks. What's more, Pocket won't be charging a dime for its novel and handy OS X app, though this shouldn't come as a surprise given the outfit's somewhat recently adopted no-cost model -- still, it's a gesture most people will certainly appreciate, and one you Mac folk can start enjoying now by downloading from to the desktop-based App Store.%Gallery-169277%
Pocket for Android gets updated with text-to-speech feature, minor UI improvements
Android users who enjoy saving their reading for later will be happy to know that Pocket's been on the receiving end of a very pleasant update. The main addition in this new version is a text-to-speech feature which reads you any saved articles, and one that's missing from its iOS counterpart. Additionally, the "Manage Site Subscription" within the app's now fully functional on all flavors of Google's OS, while an enhanced full-screen animation in Reader and other undisclosed UI tweaks have also been stuffed inside v4.2. The refreshed Pocket application can be downloaded now from the Play shop, and be sure to pay the more coverage link below a visit to dive into some deeper details.
Yahoo Axis on desktop, iOS unifies your bookmarks, makes the web visual (hands-on)
We're all familiar with syncing bookmarks and save-for-later web services like Instapaper, but it's not often that they come with a full web component. Yahoo's hoping to hit the proverbial two birds tonight with Axis, which combines a desktop web browser extension (your choice of Chrome, Firefox or Safari) with a mobile app on the iPad and iPhone. You can bookmark any page and get at it later through a common portal -- hence the Axis name. That unity idea also extends to the idea of browser searching, where you'll see both trending topics as well as immediate answers and visual thumbnails of the top search results. Mobile users can share content through email, Pinterest or Twitter, if that's their inclination. Axis is ready and free to use as of today, although Android users won't get their turn until closer to the end of the year. Engadget had a chance to give Axis a quick spin, and we largely like what we see, even if we'd say it's not for everyone. The desktop browser extension largely stays out of your way until you need it, although we're surprised the social sharing elements are left out. On the mobile side, it's effectively a full, tabbed web browser, and a fairly solid (if simple) one at that. Most of the advantage comes through having the deeper search options just a pull away. Our issues mostly stem from the need for the app and the ecosystem it's leaping into. If you already thrive on (or want to try) services like Instapaper or Pocket, you're not going to get significantly more here, especially since you can't save content offline. Choosing iOS also means you can't make Axis your default browser, so any links you get from other apps can't be directly shared with Yahoo's mobile app. %Gallery-155648%
Pocket gets update and a whole lotta downloads
The app that began life as Read It Later and that's now known as Pocket (Free) has received a significant update to version 4.1, and the developer took the opportunity to report just how successful the app has become. Since the rename and relaunch of the app three weeks ago, Pocket has received over 2 million downloads across a variety of platforms, and reached the #1 spot for free news apps for iPhone and iPad quickly. Pocket also became the third most downloaded iPad app within hours of the release last month. According to the press release from Read It Later, Inc., today's update includes the following features: Page flipping mode -- In addition to Pocket's default scrolling option, users can now swipe left or right inside an article to enable Page Flipping and read one page at a time. Improved Dark theme and an all-new Sepia theme -- With refined contrast and readability, these options make reading even more comfortable. Increased maximum font size -- For those preferring larger print, Pocket's font-size options have been expanded so users can find the perfect font size for reading. In addition, Pocket now has the following enhancements: Dark theme throughout the app -- Use Pocket comfortably at night, whether in Article View or browsing through saved content. Add URLs from clipboard -- Pocket now automatically detects URLs that are copied to the clipboard so they can be added directly to Pocket for easier saving. Support for additional video sites -- Pocket's in-app video streaming now supports popular sites including TED, Devour and Khan Academy. I personally use Pocket to capture content to read later, and it works extremely well. The improvements truly add a lot of utility to an already great app.
Read It Later becomes Pocket, goes free for all
I know Read It Later as a very useful Firefox extension, similar to Instapaper, which allows users to save web content with just one click for later retrieval on smartphones, tablets, or the web. Previous to this, there were both free and pro versions of Read It Later available in the App Store, with the Pro version allowing for things like sharing content to social networks, and a fullscreen reading experience. All that's changed now, as well as the brand itself. Read It Later, TUAW has been told, is now being called Pocket, and the full service will be available for free on iOS, Android, and Kindle, as well as the web and all of its other platforms. Pocket has all of the features of Read It Later, which means it still plugs into all of the same places -- users will be able to save content from the web or over 300 apps out there (including apps like Flipboard and Zite), and then access that content again later. And of course the new Pocket app also features upgrades, including a new cleaner UI, a redesigned fullscreen mode, and the ability to favorite and even tag content in bulk, so it's easier to find and organize than before. It sounds like a great move for the app and its creator, Nate Weiner. The fact that all of the previously pro features are now free should give you a reason to try it, even if you haven't before. Pocket should be available either right now or very soon over on the App Store. Show full PR text More Than Just Reading - Top App "Read It Later's" Newest Version Becomes the Now Free "Pocket" to Easily Save Web Articles, Videos and More to View Later New Pocket App Leads Content Shifting Category with a Beautiful New Design that Makes Viewing Later on Any Post-PC Device Easy SAN FRANCISCO, CA, APRIL 17, 2012 - Four years ago, Read it Later was created to allow users to save their web content to view later on their own schedule. One year ago, Read It Later had 2.5 million users; now it has 4.5 million. This growth made it the number one paid news app for Android and Kindle Fire and a top app for iPhone and iPad. Today, the company announced a new version of their flagship app -- now free across all devices -- and a new name, Pocket. Pocket is for when people discover an interesting article, video or web page, but don't have time to view it. Once saved to Pocket, the list of content is visible on any device -- phone, tablet or computer. It can be viewed while waiting in line, on the couch or during commutes or travel -- even offline. Pocket is available today for free in the App Store at getpocket.com/ios, on Google Play (formerly the Android Marketplace) at getpocket.com/android, and for Kindle Fire at getpocket.com/kindlefire. "Nearly five items every second are saved to Pocket from the web and popular news apps, including videos, articles, recipes and more," said Nate Weiner, founder of Read it Later and creator of Pocket. "Pocket is the perfect name for our latest version as it expresses how simple it is to take any content users discover with them, no matter where they go." Pocket is different than "bookmarking," apps, which organize links for long term storage. Instead, Pocket lets users save the content they discover on the web or inside any of over 300 leading apps--including Flipboard, Twitter, Pulse, and Zite--with a single tap and view it on any device. Since its launch in 2007, over 200 million items have been saved, giving the company deep insight into how and when consumers save and view their web content. Key findings include: • 33 percent of saved items come from 3rd party apps including Twitter, Zite, Flipboard and Pulse. • 50 percent of items saved via Pocket are viewed on mobile screens (up from 34 percent in January). • Web consumption peaks in the early morning and declines through the day, as consumers dig through their inboxes and find what they want to view later. iPad use peaks at night, as users view saved content in the pre-bedtime hours. Mobile consumption maps to commuting times, as users increasingly view content in transit. • 40 percent of items saved are not articles; popular content include videos, images, things to buy, travel tips and recipes. • YouTube is the apps' most popular source of content, as users increasingly are saving videos for later viewing. The new Pocket update is focused on making the most important parts of the user experience as easy and simple as possible. It enhances all the features users already loved in Read it Later in a beautiful new interface. • A Cleaner, Simpler UI. The new user interface of Pocket displays all of a user's content in a beautiful, easy-to-view layout adapted to take full advantage of high definition displays. • Video & Image Filters. Most people save sites with videos and images, in addition to articles and text. Pocket automatically filters all content so users can quickly switch between articles, videos and images with just a tap. • Enhanced Viewing Experience. Articles, videos and anything saved is displayed in a clean and simplified view with fewer toolbars and a redesigned full-screen mode. • Easier to Organize. New bulk editing, favoriting and tagging modes make organizing and browsing saved items easier. Users can find content by keywords, publications or create their own custom tags. • Favorites. Users can star favorite content so it is always available when they want to find it. • Pocket is Free on All Major Mobile Platforms. Pocket is now available, for free, on all major mobile platforms including Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Amazon Kindle Fire. About Read it Later Based in San Francisco, Read it Later was founded in 2007 by Nate Weiner to help users save what they find online and view it on any device at any time. The service currently has over 4.5 million registered users and is integrated into over 300 apps including Flipboard, Twitter and Zite. In April 2012 the Read it Later app became known as Pocket and focused on the most important parts of the content-shifting experience, making it easier and simpler than ever. Pocket is available for major devices and platforms including iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, all Android-based tablets and smartphones, Google Chrome, and Firefox.
Read it Later becomes Pocket, drops its price to free
Skimming the news later is no match for consuming it fresh, but we still live in a world with connectivity dead zones -- riding the subway, cruising the Pacific at 35,000 feet -- making an offline reading app a necessity for oft-disconnected consumers. Pocket, formerly known as "Read it Later," lets you save online content to read when you're not within web's reach, or even when you are. Pocket could also be a good resource for folks that stumble upon some interesting content, but simply don't have time to read it at that very moment. You can also grab videos and images to watch later -- everything is presented in a clean, easy to view format, searchable by publication, keyword or custom tags. And while the former version -- Read it Later -- ran you a cool 99 cents, Pocket is free, and available now for Android, iOS and the Kindle Fire.
Engadget app for iPhone and iPod touch updated to 2.2.0, get it now!
Hey there fellow iOS users, just thought we'd let you know that the Engadget app for iPhone and iPod touch has now been updated to version 2.2. What's new, you ask? Well, on top of a stash of performance tweaks, there's now a handy landscape viewing mode along with much improved sharing features; or if you prefer saving the goodies for yourself, then you'll also like our new "save for later" options for Evernote, Instapaper, and Read It Later. Head over to the App Store to nab the fresh update now. Oh, don't worry, we haven't forgotten our buddies on the Windows Phone boat. We can assure you that our devs are hard at work at cooking up an Engadget app for Windows Phone 7 just as we speak, so stay tuned for an announcement soon.
Read it Later Pro hits Android, we go hands-on
We've all been there, cruising through some news in a browser only to think "Man, I don't have time for this whole article." At that point you have two options: type "tl;dr" in the article's comments and smugly move on with your life, or call upon one of the many services that let you cache content for later perusal. Read it Later Pro is one of the more popular ones and, with support for a flurry of platforms, it makes it easy to start reading one thing at one place and later pick up that thing at some other place. With the release of an Android version you now have even more places at your disposal. We pulled this $.99 new addition from the Android Market and gave it a spin. %Gallery-118895%
How the iPad and iPhone shift reading habits
Read It Later is an Instapaper-style platform for saving and tracking various things to read online, and they recently released some interesting information about iPad and iPhone reading over on their blog. The line for when people save articles is pretty constant no matter what hour of the day you're talking about -- we're pretty often browsing for and discovering new things to read all of the time. But when you look at the graphs about when people retrieve those articles on their mobile devices, you see some interesting trends. The iPhone graph, seen above, has lots of little peaks in it, but those peaks come at "in-between" times -- when we're eating some breakfast, traveling via commute or about to go to bed. That's fascinating -- according to this data, the iPhone is really a whitespace device, providing productivity when we don't have access to anything else. And the iPad graph is interesting as well -- as you can see on RiL's page, it sees most of its activity later in the evening, when we're on the couch just relaxing. And there's one more little bit of interesting data -- users who own an iPad are apparently doing less reading on their computers during the day. In other words, they're saving articles specifically for iPad time, because apparently they prefer to do more reading on the iPad itself. Remember, these are brand new categories of devices, and it's really crazy to see how they're changing our habits so quickly. [via TechCrunch]
