Flipboard

Flipboard

Flipboard logo
Developer(s) Flipboard, inc
Initial release January 2010 (2010-01)
Stable release 3.4.0 / March 24, 2016 (2016-03-24)
Development status Active
Platform Android,[1] BlackBerry OS, iOS, Windows, Windows Phone
Type Social-network aggregation
License Free, registration required
Website flipboard.com

Flipboard is a social-network aggregation, magazine-format mobile app localized in more than 20 languages. The software collects content from social media and other websites, presents it in magazine format, and allows users to "flip" through their social-networking feeds and feeds from websites that have partnered with the company.

Flipboard is produced by Flipboard, Inc., a United States-based software company founded in 2010 by Mike McCue and Evan Doll and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

History

The app Flipboard was launched in 2010 by former Apple iPhone engineer, Evan Doll, and former Tellme CEO, Mike McCue. The duo set out to create an app that merged the simplicity and feel of a magazine with the accessibility and collaboration that technology provides. The app integrates news from media outlets from around the world and presents it in a magazine format.

According to McCue and Doll, the idea for the application was invented during a brainstorming session between them, during which they tried to imagine what the web would look like if it were designed from scratch. The design they came up with placed emphasis on the social web and the ability to consume content in a graphical magazine-like format.[2]

Flipboard has raised more than $200 million in funding from investors, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Index Ventures, Rizvi Traverse Management, and Insight Venture Partners.[3] Flipboard most recently raised $50 million from JPMorgan Chase in July 2015.[4] The funding will be used to build out the product and team. Flipboard’s funding will also help in stiff competition from new entries like Apple News.[5]

Development

Flipboard launched for the iPad and in December 2010 was updated to add support for the iPhone and iPod Touch. On May 5, 2012, it was announced that Flipboard would be released for select Android phones, beginning with the Samsung Galaxy S3.[1] On May 30, 2012, a beta version of Flipboard for Android was released through its website.[6] A final stable release of the Flipboard for Android was released on June 22, 2012 in Google Play[7] while the China version of Flipboard for Android was released on June 26, 2012.[8] The Windows 8 version of the Flipboard app was also unveiled during the Microsoft 2013 Build Conference and also on the official Flipboard blog with video although no release date has been given.[9][10] On October 22, 2013, it was also announced that Flipboard for Windows 8 will be rolled out to selected devices starting with Nokia Lumia 2520.[11]

Zite

In March 2014, Flipboard bought Zite, a magazine-style reading app, from CNN. Flipboard's content filtering, topic engine and improved recommendations system has been integrated from this acquisition.[12][13] Zite was shut down on December 7, 2015.[14]

Web interface

In February 2015, Flipboard became available on the web. Up until then, Flipboard was 100 percent mobile, only available on users' tablets and mobile phones. It only provides webpage links on desktops, however.[15]

Reception

The reaction to the application was mainly positive, with some calling it a "killer" iPad application.[16] Apple reviewed Flipboard positively and named the application Apple's iPad App of the Year in 2010.[17] When a new update of the software added more features such as support for Google Reader, a web-based aggregator, and content from more publishers, it, too, received mostly favorable reviews.[18]

Censorship

On May 15, 2011, Flipboard was blocked by the Great Firewall of China. McCue said on his Twitter feed – "China has now officially blocked Flipboard".[19]

The company then released its first international edition for China. Beginning in February 2012, the company started self-censoring if the user is using the application from China. The content guide for China does not include Twitter and Facebook anymore. Existing subscriptions for Twitter or Facebook are also automatically removed.[20]

User interface

The application's user interface[21] is designed for intuitive flipping through content. Once the feeds have been set up, the first page seen when the application is opened is a visual list of the subscribed content. The iPhone and Android versions have a "Cover Stories" section on the first page collating only the most recent, important items from all of the subscriptions.[22] This is meant to be read when the user only has a short period of time for reading.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Flipboard Inc announces Android release". Twitter. Flipboard Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ MacManus, Richard (October 7, 2010). "How Flipboard Was Created & Its Plans Beyond iPad". ReadWriteWeb. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Crunchbase Funding Rounds". crunchbase. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Flipboard Confirms New $50M Funding Round From JP Morgan". Techcrunch. July 24, 2015.
  5. ↑ Lynley, Matthew; Lunden, Ingrid. "Flipboard Confirms New $50M Funding Round From JP Morgan". TechCrunch. TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  6. ↑ Velazco, Chris (May 30, 2012). "Flipboard Officially Opens Up Their Android Beta To Interested Testers". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  7. ↑ Perez, Sarah (June 22, 2012). "Flipboard Officially Launches On Android, Adds Google+, YouTube And More Localized Versions". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ Millard, Steven (June 25, 2012). "Flipboard for Android ‘China Edition’ Launches, Comes to 2 Startup App Stores". TechInAsia. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ Warren, Tom (June 26, 2013). "Official Facebook and Flipboard apps coming to Windows 8". The Verge. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Flipboard Is Coming to Windows". Flipboard. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  11. ↑ Warren, Tom (October 22, 2013). "Flipboard for Windows 8: a Live Tile twist similar to Android and iOS". The Verge. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Flipboard Is Buying Zite From CNN In A Deal Valued Up To $60M, After CNN Bought It For Around $20M 3 Years Ago". TechCrunch. AOL. March 5, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  13. ↑ Ken Yeung. "Flipboard adds more Zite technology to its platform to help you fine-tune the content you see". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Zite will shut down on December 7, asks users to migrate data to Flipboard - VentureBeat - Apps - by Ken Yeung". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. ↑ Crider, Michael (February 10, 2015). "Flipboard Expands Its Curated News Service To The Desktop With New Website". Android Police.
  16. ↑ "Flipboard – A Killer App for the iPad". TechPad. October 1, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  17. ↑ Yarow, Jay (December 9, 2010). "Apple Calls Flipboard 'iPad App of the Year'. Business Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  18. ↑ Silverman, Dwight (December 16, 2010). "Flipboard: A Killer iPad App Gets Even Better". TechBlog (of the Houston Chronicle). Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  19. ↑ Wee, Willis (May 15, 2011). "'China Has Officially Blocked Flipboard,' Says CEO". Penn Olson. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  20. ↑ Jason (circa February 2012). "China – Flipboard Stopped Working". Flipboard forum post. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  21. ↑ Sapra, Jatin (circa March 2013). "5 Reasons Why Flipboard App Got Famous". Flipboard blog post. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Flipboard - Best News Apps". mustips.com.
  23. ↑ "What Are Cover Stories? Tap Here to Find Out.". flipboard.com.

Further reading

External links


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