Difference between Flipboard and Pulse
iPad apps are a dime a dozen nowadays, and it seems that no sooner have you downloaded one that there is another fresh new batch for you to explore. Greatly enhancing the features and capabilities of an already very capable device–the iPad–apps such as Flipboard and Pulse take your iPad enjoyment and use to a whole new level. Let's see what each of these readers have to offer.
Profile
Flipboard is a social magazine solution developed by the company of the same name. The company itself was founded by Mike McCue and Evan Doll in 2010 in Palo Alto, California. Facebook was initially developed for use in the Apple range of iPad tablet computers.
Pulse is an iPad tablet computer application released in 2010. The app was also launched with versions for the new iPhone and Android, albeit with a slightly reduced set of features and functionality.
Purpose
Flipboard was designed primarily to gather content from social networks and other similar websites and present them for viewing on the iPad in magazine format. The app was also designed to make full use of the iPad's larger touch screen, and basically enables users to "flip" through feeds from websites affiliated with Flipboard. This helps provide more intuitive access to content. After the user sets up the feeds, the app then opens up with a page that provides a visual list of all the content the user has subscribed to.
Pulse has a similar purpose, and it basically presents news from different RSS feeds on a single page. This makes it easy for users to get their information right from a single page.
Key Features
Flipboard essentially functions as a "social magazine", and it actually performs in a similar manner to Twitter feeds. The difference is that Flipboard presents content in a magazine format. The application in fact looks very much like a magazine, although the content is constantly updated, and it even features a cover as well as several sections. When you first start up the app, you will be presented with content from different news and technology sites among others, although you can later on add your own content from sources such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as any RSS feeds you specify.
Pulse is essentially just a newsreader for the iPad, although it does offer a number of helpful enhancements. The application basically culls information from various RSS feeds across the Internet, and gathers them together in a unique fashion. Like Flipboard, Pulse already comes with a list of suggested feeds, but users have the option to add more content from a variety of other sources.
Similarities and Differences
Flipboard
- A social magazine solution developed by the company of the same name
- Designed to gather content from social networks and other websites
- Presents content on the iPad in magazine format
Pulse
- An iPad tablet computer application released in 2010
- Presents news from different RSS feeds on a single page
- Comes with a list of suggested feeds
- Users have the option to add more content
