Zite!

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Another iPad post, I just can't help myself.

More and more I've been exploring news and magazines on the iPad. As I've mentioned before, National Geographic is a wonder on the iPad. Then there's Wired Magazine. If you're not familiar with Wired, it's a great magazine that offers all kinds of information, mostly centered on new technology. Dealing with all things technological, you would expect extraordinary things from them on the iPad and they don't disappoint.

It's so interesting to watch how traditional publishing is making the move to digital editions. While some magazines simply scan their content (reformatting it to fit the various screens), others, like National Geographic and Wired have taken it a step further. The articles are the same as the print version, but are enhanced with interactive movies, slide shows, internet links and whatever else they can think to include. It's like the magazine experience on steroids. I love it.

Then there's an app called Zite! It's a news gathering app, but it works differently than others I've tried. You start out by picking from a selection of topics (like World News, Politics, Science, Food and Cooking, Fashion, Travel, Pets, etc.). You can also add in your own search terms and they will add them to your personalized magazine. But here's where it differs from other apps. Every time you read an article, you have the option of "liking" an article. If you mark it as liked, the app remembers and in the future will add similar pieces to your magazine. While I'm not sure what magic algorithms they use, I can tell you that after using the app for more than a month, they have definitely tailored my "magazine" to my taste.

The iPad continues to amaze me, and more and more, is becoming my "computer" of choice. I still use my MacBook Pro for heavy duty digital photo editing, but for 95% of my computing needs, the iPad fits the bill perfectly.