Flipboard for the iPad

The death of Google’s Reader and Flipboard for the iPad. RSS and beyond.

The first time I used this “magazine-style” aggregator, I quickly deleted it. Free app, not worth the time. However, I went back after some kind of an “app over-haul,” and I tried it again. Much better.

Partly, that’s due to me growing more familiar with the flip user-interface, and partly, the aggregator got better. I’d guess it was 50/50 with another 50 not good at fractions, and the way I could pull what I wanted. I experimented with several aggregators, and my current favorite is still one that is truly cross-platforms, as it uses Google Reader as the source. While I never much liked Google Reader as an RSS reader, with it as a “source,” the little app “Reeder” worked as a great front-end for Google.

If I was stuck someplace, and checking the various feeds on my phone, once I’ve checked the item as “read,” that was checked as ‘Already consumed’ across all my machines.

I can spend up to an hour a day — maybe more — scanning various news feed sources. I’m looking for data that entertains, amuses, or enlightens me. Educate me. Satisfy an itch I didn’t know I had. Maybe more than one. I like history, geography, current events, not much on politics, but I was raised in Texas where politics is generally a vile and bloody sport.

While I like Flipboard for a casual, late night, “Whatever grabs me,” kind of browsing, I still like my RSS reader that was channeled through Google’s source.

Here’s the problem, summed up succinctly, more than I could:

The real problem is that you can’t monetize Google Reader when no one actually goes to the web interface. (via)

I’m the perfect example. I did pay for the little app, on the phone, on the tablet, on the machine at the (home) office, just because that app answered a simple need: read my feeds in manner that was useful to me.

Collate data and present it in manner that I found useful. I tend to scan headlines for keywords that interest me, and I also try to incorporate literary as well as academic and technical material (news) in my mix. I like the material in discrete containers.

Not worried, either as I’m sure something new will pop up. I did think about rolling up my own “feed” page, as that’s not really a difficult little project, but the limits are having access to the web to read the material.

One of the problems I have with Flipboard is no fast and simple way to extract a URL to curate the post. Currently, I have to “view on web” and then, “view in your (Safari) web browser” thing. Then copy the link and then, I have a source.

What I missed, in that set of jumps, the aforementioned link has a funny URL. Bit flaming.

Brings new meaning to “Curate and Collate.”

The benefits of age and cyber-hippies? There will be a hue and cry, “The end is near!” Then, a petition to get Google to continue to support an untenable position, and then? Some other company will realize a way to earn income from the situation, and anyway, with age? Just sit back and wait. Something will pop up to replace it.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Trust me.