If you’re not familiar with this app already, you should be. Pulse News Reader (iTunes, $3.99) is a new RSS client for the iPad that displays your feeds in a simple grid configuration that scrolls horizontally and vertically.
Designed by two students at Stanford’s Institute of Design, the app has an intriguing backstory. It was approved for sale on the App Store, then the New York Times objected because its content was included among the default feeds and it was removed. The developers were surprised when the app magically re-appeared in time for Jobs keynote at WWDC where it was displayed during his parade of cool apps.
It’s been reported that the app was re-posted because v.1.1 does not automatically include the Times properties in the default feeds. The developers could not be reached for comment.
What makes Pulse different from the litany of iPad RSS clients on the market (like my other favorites NewsRack and The Early Edition) is that Pulse prominently displays the image associated with each story as opposed to the abstract, summary or first few lines of the article.
Displaying a large thumbnail image — versus more content – sounds gimmicky but it works surprisingly well. A testament to our visual nature perhaps? But it’s more than that. Pulse works extremely well in landscape mode and was built to navigate with two hands, I use my left thumb to scroll up and down and my right thumb to scroll left and right between stories. Good stuff.
Pulse current sits at No. 1 of the paid apps on iTunes — and for good reason.
What newsreader do you use on your iPad?
