There are several quality app options that provide customized news feeds in magazine format, and the new iPad app Zite is no exception. To get the bad out of the way, Zite’s loading speeds didn’t live up to my expectations, but as the app was the recent recipient of a lot of media chatter that boosted user numbers, I would guess Zite’s team will have these issues corrected quickly.
Zite is a smart app, in both its actual design and its function. Relying on personal user ratings, Zite is able to use your preferences to provide a custom mix of reading material that’s tailor-made for you. Users can link their Twitter and Google Reader accounts at the initial start-up to give Zite something to go on from the very beginning. Zite’s magazine style interface presents story leads that will open as iPad-optimized windows for full reading. I appreciated the adjustable font size and the ability to launch the article’s web version in line. When users are reading stories, they’ll see a sidebar that features thumbs up and down icons. Entering your opinion of the article style will affect the type of content Zite pulls in the future. This tool bar also offers sharing options for Facebook, Twitter and email, along with smart buttons to add categories or sources to your favorites list. If you choose to read an article in its web format, the rating buttons will be available on that screen, too.
Zite will always present top stories, but the app can also be customized in terms of its sections, available as a sidebar on the front page or from a drop-down menu. There are 36 sections available, or you can enter keywords to create your own. The app pulled a good mix of traditional sources, along with some off-the-beaten-path sites to give me a wide variety of subject matter to peruse. There is currently no support for offline reading, so I’d like to see support for storing favorites, or Instapaper added for times when a connection is unavailable.
The best reason to try Zite is that it’s completely free. If you’re disappointed with the first batch of stories the app sends your way, keep reading and rating, and you’ll see marked improvement — I did.
Download the free Appolicious for iPad app
