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Flipboard launches on iPhone, iPod Touch, introduces 'Cover Stories' feature
Flipboard has now arrived on a slightly smaller board. Previously available as an iPad-only affair, the popular magazine and social media app has now launched on both the iPhone and iPod Touch, bringing graphics-laden aggregation to a wider swath of the iOS community. This new universal version features much of the same functionality you'll find on its iPad predecessor, along with a new Cover Stories interface, which collects and displays all your recent photo uploads, shared articles and status updates from select social networks. If you're intrigued, you can download it for free at the source link, below.
Flipboard for iPhone released
Flipboard, the popular personal magazine app that's been tremendously successful on the iPad, has been updated to a universal version that now also works on the iPhone and iPod touch. Other features included in the latest Flipboard update include: Cover Stories for iPhone, a selection of interesting articles and photos being shared with you right now. And it gets smarter every time you use it. (Coming soon to iPad.) Speed. Flip through pages as you would through a printed magazine, all with the flick of a thumb. Flipboard Accounts: Sign into your Flipboard from either iPhone or iPad and get instant access to all your favorite content. Check out All Timelines. Flip through a single feed containing all articles and all photos being shared across all your social networks. Setting up Flipboard on the iPhone is extremely simple if you've already set up a Flipboard account in the iPad app, and all your data immediately syncs over quite seamlessly. As for the experience of using the app itself, it's a bit different from the iPad version; only one article at a time shows up in the viewer, and you swipe vertically through articles rather than horizontally as on the iPad. There also doesn't appear to be any support for landscape orientation at this point, which seems an odd omission. Other than those minor quirks, using Flipboard on the iPhone is almost as delightful as using it on the iPad. For those of you who don't own iPads and thus have yet to experience Flipboard, I'd urge you to check it out right away. It's one of my all-time favorite apps from any category, and it works very well even on the iPhone's much smaller screen.
iPad/Android-based games mag PXL looking for assistance on Kickstarter
PXL is a proposal for a new game magazine on Android tablets and iPad, combining elements of traditional magazines and websites in a neat way. Each issue of the upcoming magazine will have a news section that updates weekly, and reviews that magically arrive on the day of release, so that issue always has the latest news (stretching the definition of an "issue"). PXL founder and former Joystiq editor Randy Nelson has assembled "a crack team of gamers who've written for PSM, Nintendo Power, Next Generation, Official Xbox Magazine, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, Joystiq, and more" to write for the magazine. The team plans to release the first issue in February, for $.99. A Kickstarter campaign is active now, offering free subscriptions and other bonuses in exchange for the funding to get the magazine off the ground and into your tablet. If you're interested in a new outlet for games writing (in addition to Joystiq; never stop reading Joystiq), or more stuff to read on your iPad than Atomix, why not help out?
Engadget Distro Issue 16 examines the Galaxy Nexus, Audi's R18 prototype and Fanatec's sim-racing gear
Finally pulled yourself out of last week's turkey coma? Awesome. You've managed to regain consciousness just in time for a freshly baked edition of Engadget Distro. In this installment we discuss the nearly perfect Samsung Galaxy Nexus, talk up terrible product names and take a Fanatec Forza gaming duo for a test drive. Speaking of cars, we also have an exclusive look at the Audi R18 prototype and it's tech savvy pit crew, Ross Rubin offers his take on Apple's TV in Switched On and you'll get a another peek into our messenger bags with IRL. Pretty sweet, eh? Go on, hit that download now because it's Friday, and you all deserve a little pre-weekend leisurely reading.
Protip: GamePro gives up on print and online
Gaming magazine icon GamePro announced that the November issue – its first quarterly installment – will be its last, after 20-plus continuous years of publishing. The website will also be closed, effective December 5, IndustryGamers reports. If you're looking for gaming content, expect to be redirected to "the PCWorld GamePro channel on pcworld.com," publisher IDG says. And that means that GamePro's editorial staff is out, while PCWorld's will attempt to make up the slack. But GamePro isn't going away completely; instead, it's "refocusing its US business exclusively on its growing custom publishing and solutions business." That means custom content, like the E3 show daily, which publisher IDG and GamePro historically produce. But for you, dear reader, GamePro is dead. So we leave you with the above video, of a simpler time, when magazines still ruled and jean jackets were still cool. RIP GamePro, and good luck (former) GamePro staff.
Engadget Distro Issue 15 tackles the Nook Tablet, HTC's Rezound and your turkey hangover
What better way to spend this post-turkey day than curling up with a brand new edition of Engadget Distro? This issue we cover Barnes and Noble's creatively named Nook Tablet, HTC's stellar new smartphone, the Rezound, and Toshiba's Ultrabook contender, the Portege Z835. We're also serving up a piping hot dish of a Samsung Galaxy 7.0 Plus review and Ross Rubin's lip-smacking Switched On, which explores HTC's journey back to the feature. If that's not enough to sate your geeky appetite, we've also got our latest installment of IRL. So belly up and download it now -- this is one holiday treat that won't go straight to your hips.
'Tis the season for the Distro Gift Guide -- 125 geeky giving ideas
We've been doling out or holiday gift giving advice in installments, but instead of making you wait, we're speeding things up a bit, and offering the full 14 categories just in time for Black Friday. Before you go into a turkey-induced coma, download our very latest special edition, the Distro 2011 Gift Guide, to find out what we've got on our wish list, and what you should have under your tree. From TVS to tablets, from smartphones to Lego sets, we've compiled a list of our favorite gadgets, gizmos and gear for every price range. Consider this your manual for fighting turkey-induced giving indecision. Now, go forth and spend! (Just don't go crazy.)
Study shows iPad owners read more magazines
The iPad is the perfect tablet for consuming magazines. It's the right size and its interactive features can make a magazine come to life. The Association of Magazine Media realizes that and asked 1,009 mobile magazine readers about their experience reading digital magazines. Not surprisingly, most respondents wanted more -- more electronic newsstands, more magazines, and more issues to read. In an age of digital entertainment which includes streaming movies, music and TV, it's encouraging that over 90 percent of respondents said their consumption of magazines has stayed the same, or even increased, since buying a mobile device. In fact, a majority (over 60 percent) expect their digital reading level to increase in the future and want even more magazines in digital format. Besides wanting more content to read, over 80 percent of digital consumers want to archive content for later viewing as well as share this content with friends or family. A majority (70 percent) also enjoy videos in their magazines, but want the clips to be one-minute or less. It's an interesting survey that suggests magazines are not dying, but have to learn to adapt to the needs of a growing number of digital customers. [Via Electronista]
Engadget Distro Issue 13 takes on Stephen Elop, the Kindle Fire and Lenovo's Ultrabook
This week's issue of everyone's favorite weekly magazine (we checked, it's legit), Engadget Distro, brings with it our very first Q&A, and what better subject to start things off than Mr. Stephen Elop? Sitting down with our own man in charge, Nokia's CEO gets candid about leading the outfit's restructuring, Lumia's launch on American soil and the death of MeeGo. As if he wasn't busy enough trotting the globe to meet with international businessmen, Tim also took time out of his busy schedule to bring you his review of both the Kindle Fire and the Galaxy Tab 8.9. We've also got our review of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Lenovo's take on the Ultrabook, the IdeaPad U300s, another installment of In Real Life and Ross Rubin take on the tablet wars. So don't just sit there, get to downloading!
Next Issue Media strikes deals with more Android tablet makers ahead of full launch
After launching its digital newsstand for the Galaxy Tab earlier this year, Next Issue Media is now looking to expand to other Android tablets, as well. The company, which was founded by a quintet of publishers including Conde Nast, Hearst and Time Inc., has just signed partnerships with a slate of slate manufacturers, including Motorola, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, along with Verizon Wireless. Next Issue Media didn't specify which devices would support its app, but it did take the opportunity to announce new digital magazines, like Car and Drive, Coastal Living, ELLE, Golf and Real Simple. The goal is to have a full 40 titles by the end of the year, ahead of its full-fledged launch in 2012. Turn past the break for more details in the full PR.
Zinio now available on Amazon Appstore, brings 5,000 magazines to Kindle Fire
After having already arrived on a host of Android slates, iPads and even TouchPads, Zinio's reader app has now made its way to the newest tablet platform -- the Kindle Fire. The magazine marketplace made its debut on the Amazon Appstore today, just in time for today's grand launch. Available as a free download, Zinio brings more than 5,000 magazine titles to Amazon's new slab, including The Economist, Rolling Stone and US Weekly, among others. New subscribers, meanwhile, will benefit from an extra $25 in credit, redeemable through March of 2012. Find more specifics in the full PR, after the break.
Engadget Distro Issue 12 -- Now with more exclusive content!
You asked and we answered. Engadget Distro Issue 12 is here, and it's full of original content. We've got not one, not two, but three never-before-published features for you this week. Michael Gorman takes you on a tour of NASA's next-gen spacecraft, Brad Molen goes behind the scenes at AT&T to reveal what it takes to make a smartphone, and analyst Ross Rubin makes his Distro debut to pose the question: What's next for the nano? This week we'll also bring you our Nokia Lumia 800 and Motorola Droid RAZR reviews and follow HotHardware's Dave Altavilla in his ascent to geekdom. And last, but certainly not least, Box Brown gives you a healthy helping of iPad 3 rumors in the Distro comic. So, pick up that iPad or hit the PDF link below and get ready for a nice long read. Distro Issue 12 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
EGM Media to produce Walmart gaming mag
Apparently, keeping one of the longest running gaming magazines going isn't enough work for the folks at Electronic Gaming Monthly. The mag's publisher, EGM Media, has announced plans to launch a new magazine exclusively for Walmart. Appropriately titled Walmart Gamecenter, the "regular frequency" magazine will offer "news, previews, interviews and other exclusive stories about gaming culture and the most important game releases." In addition to the print publication at Walmart stores, the magazine will also be offered via "personal computers, iPad and Facebook with EGM's proprietary ScreenPaper publishing platform." The first issue debuts December 6.
Engadget Distro Issue 11 is go! Download it now
You've been waiting all week, and the 11th Issue of Engadget Distro is finally here. For those of you experiencing that nasty crash bug overseas, the fix is in. We released version 1.0.2 of the app earlier this week, so if you've got an iPad (or a way to view PDFs) go on and download it. Taking center stage this week is the half-phone-half-tablet hybrid with a stylus -- pardon, S Pen -- the Samsung Galaxy Note. We'll also take you on a ride with the Grace One City e-motorbike; pick apart HTC's lady phone, the Rhyme; find out what's inside the Motorola Atrix 2; and take a couple shots at (and with) the Pentax Q, a tiny ILC with a massive price tag. But that's not all, if you've been dying to tell us how it is, we're giving you a soapbox to stand on. Yup, we're opening our little weekly to your scrutiny, so if you've got something to say about Distro send your thoughts to distroletters@engadget.com. Provide your name, city and state / country and you might just make it into Issue 12. So, hit that PDF download link below or pick up your iPad and give Engadget Distro a go. Distro Issue 11 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Zinio arrives for the Touchpad, with fashionable lateness
The Touchpad may no longer be with us, but that hasn't stopped Zinio from launching its reader app on HP's abandoned tablet. The tool hit the App Catalog earlier this week, bringing magazine subscriptions and single-issue purchases to users still clinging to their 9.7-inch slates. The newsstand is available as a free download, and, by all appearances, doesn't stray too far from the layout and functionality found on previous iOS and Android releases. News junkies can grab the app now, though according to some early users on PreCentral's forums, it may act a little buggy.
Engadget Distro Issue 10: It's alive! And ready for download
They're creepy, they're kooky, they're your favorite Frankengadgets and they've invaded the latest issue of Engadget Distro. But fear not, this edition of our fine weekly isn't all about chopping and screwing the devices you love, we've got plenty of other real-life gadgets on hand as well. See that tiny silver sliver on the cover? That's ASUS' Zenbook UX31, perhaps the most viable candidate for the Ultrabook throne. It may not be as thin and light, but we're also bringing you a review of Dell's lightweight XPS 14z, an ergonomically sound laptop with a sizable asking price. On the mobile front, Myriam Joire says hello and goodbye to Nokia's N9 MeeGo phone and Zach Honig gets his hands on its brother from another operating system, the Lumia 800. Nokia's claiming its latest is the "first real Windows Phone," but Sharif Sakr's review of the HTC Titan might just prove otherwise. We'll also bring you a look into Tech News Today host Iyaz Akhtar's geeky upbringing, our latest installation of In Real Life and an exclusive comic from Ed Piskor. So what are you waiting for? Hop on that iPad or hit the PDF download link below, and soak up all that Distro goodness. Distro Issue 10 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Engadget Distro Issue 9: the Android Invasion is upon us!
They're here! We gave Apple's latest some face time in Distro's first special edition and now it's time for Google's little green robot(s) to get the cover treatment. If Cupertino's strength is in its concentration on a single device, then Android's is in its diversity, and this week we're bringing you our thoughts on not one, not two, not three, but four new smartphones sporting Mountain View's OS. We'll bring you all the dirty details on two hotly anticipated and recently released phones, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Motorola's Droid RAZR, dive deep into Beats in our review of HTC's Sensation XE, and find out if the Amaze 4G can live up to its name. We've also got a review of the first Ultrabook to make it to market, Acer's Aspire S3, and a glimpse at how Tech News Today host, Tom Merritt became the Geek he is today. The Android Invasion is upon us, but don't run for your life. Pick up that iPad or hit the PDF download link below and get your Distro on. (And for those of you diehard Android fans, we are indeed still working on a Honeycomb version -- hang tight!) Distro Issue 9 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Engadget Distro Issue 7 is ready for download!
Come and get it! The very first, fully fresh issue of Engadget Distro is ready for you to consume, and it's not just for the iPad anymore -- a PDF version is available for download below. So what's on the menu this week? We've got a very thorough review of iOS 5 by Dante Cesa, a look at Nikon's first mirrorless camera by Zach Honig, Brian Heater's thoughts on the fourth generation Kindle, Ben Heck's journey to geekdom, Tim Stevens' take on T-Mo's Galaxy S II, and so much more. So if you haven't had a chance to gobble up absolutely every last word that's crossed your monitor this week, let us do the honors of bringing you the very best of what Engadget had to offer, bundled in a beautiful package and absolutely free of charge. Either hit the appropriate link below or check your app for the download -- we promise it's yummy. After all, we baked it ourselves. Distro Issue 7 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Quark will host iPad publishing seminars
As noted by MacObserver, Quark is pushing the new App Studio feature of QuarkXPress 9.1 by offering designers two seminars to help them use this new publishing tool. App Studio lets designers create their own multimedia-rich iPad magazine app using the familiar interface of QuarkXpress. It includes a suite of tools that'll let you create the app, distribute it through the App Store and publish new content as issues that customers can buy or download for free. Quark will be holding two one-day training events in October that'll walk attendees through these new iPad tools. The first event will be held October 20 in Denver and the second will be held in London on October 26.
TRVL: Getting the e-magazine right
I've tried just about every iPad magazine app that has made it to market. For many of the e-mags, the subscription cost is more than the value of the content. Some magazines are using the traditional advertising model to create a revenue stream, and fill their pages with annoying static ads (although some have created equally obnoxious interactive ads as a nod to the digital age). As a result, most iPad magazines stay on my device just long enough for the review and are then deleted. TRVL (free) is an exception to my bad habit of loading and tossing e-magazines. The magazine was started in 2010 by two men from the Netherlands, Joachim Wijnands and Michel Elings. Wijnands brought travel writing and photography skills honed at such prestigious publications as National Geographic and GEO to the game, while Elings' technical prowess was used to design the app. TRVL was the first iPad-exclusive magazine, and Elings admits that they made some mistakes early on. They've now changed to a free distribution model and are building a very loyal following of readers due to the high quality of the content. The magazine is a beautiful combination of prose and photography, with no advertisements to ruin the enjoyment of reading. %Gallery-134429% Each issue of the magazine focuses on a single place or topic. For the purposes of this review, for instance, I chose an issue that focused on a high-latitude polar excursion to the Svalberg archipelago that highlighted one big member of the local fauna -- the polar bear. But the articles also focused on the camaraderie that built up between the travelers on the small ship that was used to visit the area. Wijnands' stunning nature and human photography, as well as the descriptive and sometimes humorous stories accompanying the pictures, made the story come alive. Being an editor, my eyes tend to jump to typos and factual mistakes. I was pleased to find that there were very few in the issue I tested -- "nearly glaciation covers nearly 60%" being one typo I found -- and there was a reference to an SAS Boeing 747 landing at the Longyearbyen Airport. SAS has no 747s in its fleet, so it was most likely a 737, a much smaller aircraft. Yes, I am pedantic... On the plus side, the TRVL guys know that the occasional mistake is going to slide through publication, and they provide a feedback form for corrections and comments. The magazine can be read in either portrait or landscape mode, although it seems to act more like a traditional paper magazine in portrait. I enjoyed looking at the photos in landscape orientation, as the larger size really made the pictures "pop." The entire magazine uses a simple sans-serif typeface with either white lettering on a black or gray background, or black lettering on a white background. It's very readable and easy on the eyes, one of the reasons I found TRVL to be so readable. TRVL makes good use of touch gestures for navigation, and it's very intuitive. One thing I've hated about some of the iPad newspapers and magazines is that the developers have tried too hard to make unique user interfaces that end up being almost totally impossible to understand or use. TRVL is easy -- you flick to the left to go to the next page, flick to the right to go back to the previous page, or tap on the page to bring up other navigation buttons. There are buttons for bookmarking pages, sharing through Twitter, Facebook or email, looking at your library of TRVL issues, jumping to the cover with a tap, jumping to a photo report (describing one picture in the issue with an intense impact or unusual back story), jumping to specific sections of the magazine, visiting TRVL's Facebook page or downloading more free issues. The issues range in size, with the example review issue weighing in at about 52 MB. That's very reasonable, considering the quality of the photography, and doesn't take up a lot of bandwidth when you're grabbing a new issue on the run over 3G or a slow Wi-Fi connection. The guys at TRVL do a wonderful job, and the magazine is highly-rated on the App Store. Whether you're an armchair traveler or seasoned veteran of world travel (I'm writing this in Kusadasi, Turkey), you'll find TRVL both fascinating and entertaining. If TRVL goes to a for-pay subscription model in the future, it's an electronic magazine that I'd definitely consider shelling out money for.
