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Daily iPad App: Instapaper 4

Like to read? Got an iPhone or iPad? You really ought to have Marco Arment's US$4.99 Instapaper, which just got an upgrade to version 4.0. Instapaper's free web service allows you to flag stories to 'Read Later' with a single click, and you can always get your complete reading list via the site. For reading on the go, however, the cached stories in the app are ideal.

The Instapaper app now features an iPad-specific article list interface; it swaps out the simple headline-by-headline scroll for a more spacious grid arrangement, complete with the first few lines of the story. The iPhone version has been streamlined too, with story excerpts, bylines and site information clearly visible. iOS 5 users get true hardware brightness control, making it easier to read under varying lighting conditions.

Instapaper wants to let you know what your friends are reading, so now in addition to the stories flagged by your Instapaper-specific social connections, you can also browse all the linked stories posted by your Twitter and Facebook friends or by the Tumblr microblogs you follow (Arment is a founder and former CTO of Tumblr). For Instapaper subscribers who choose to fork over $1 a month to support the service, the app now includes full-text search of all the articles you've ever saved to Instapaper -- downright handy. You can see the full list of new features at Arment's blog.

If you're only using Instapaper via the website, you're not getting the full-on experience. There are very few apps that have made themselves a home on the front screens of both my iPhone and iPad, and even fewer that rate a spot in the app Dock for both devices. Instapaper has been firmly lodged there since version 1, and I don't anticipate pulling it out anytime soon.



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iPhone App Review iPad iOS

Like to read? Got an iPhone or iPad? You really ought to have Marco Arment's US$4.99 Instapaper, which just got an upgrade to version...
 

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LauraM

I haven't made a study of Read It Later, but one thing I use a lot in Instapaper is folders. I scan my RSS news feeds, send stories I want to read to Instapaper, then after I'm done reading them on my iPad I either delete or sort them into folders depending on what I want to do with them when I get back to my laptop. For me (a person who has to keep up with a couple of industries), this alone is worth the cost.

October 26 2011 at 8:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sportsbiz

Try Read It Later. It keeps the list format, is useable cross-platform and is free. No, I'm not associated with the app or it's creator in any way other than a satisfied user.

October 18 2011 at 10:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Long

See. Here's the thing: I've already browsed a boatload of articles looking for things to read later. Now, with Instapaper on my iPad, I'm just trying to FIND them so I can read them.

In that regard, the new design, well... sucks. It's gone from showing me a list of a dozen or so to showing me four at a time, in a side-by-side arrangement that's harder to scan and read. The new toolbar wastes 10% of the screen permanently presenting me options I rarely use.

Instapaper isn't Zite or Flipboard, and it shouldn't try to be.

October 18 2011 at 2:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jeddhorvath

I want to keep using Instapaper instead of iOS5 Safari Reader, but having Reader inside the browser is awful useful...what does Instapaper have over Reader?

October 18 2011 at 1:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lin_shine

Instapaper ? detail?

October 18 2011 at 11:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Scott M. Litvinoff

How much does Instapaper do that I can't get from Mobile Safari's Reading List? I'm not asking to be a smart-ass. I just want to understand the value added here for those who don't already have a ton of content, which would make switching a pain.

October 18 2011 at 10:04 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ember Scott

Thanks for the article!
If you want to make your own apps - use snappii service. Snappii is a do-it-yourself platform for making iPhone and iPad apps. Easy, fast, not expensive.

October 18 2011 at 8:41 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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