Here Comes The Flud... Update

Flud is a newcomer to the iPad visual newsreader market. Now, only three weeks after its initial release, it has already received a major update. Three weeks ago, in an article on AppAdvice.com, we introduced you to Flud. Like Pulse and Flipboard, Flud arranges news into a visual scrolling form that looks and works great on the iPad. Feature-wise, each of the three apps has its benefits, but Flud promised a lot of great new features in forthcoming updates. Three weeks later, the first update is out. So, what great new things can we expect in this update? The developer contacted us to let us know what the new features and enhancements are:

We have included the following new features in v1.1:

• Categories: Filter feeds by category as you read. Re-categorize from the "My Feeds" screen
• Google Reader integration: Bring your feeds into the app from Google Reader
• Twitter integration: Share stories on Twitter from in the app.
• Unread article highlighting and unread counts: Items you read will now be dimmed. In addition, each feed row has an unread count to help you easily browse new content.

Enhancements:

• Improved search: Manually add a feed by typing the URL into the search field. Enter a website URL into the search and we will find the feed for you. Improved results for keyword searches.
• Improved feed support
• Improved loading speeds
• Other minor performance enhancements

While Pulse and Switchboard offer a very good user experience, Flud is the most customizable. With no limit on news sources, and the added ability to manually add feeds or import them from Google Reader, Flud sets itself apart. After testing it for a few days, Flud stands out as a great way to browse your favorite sites. Everything from major news sites to personal blogs appears in the same easy-to-read format.

For those who look for apps with Google Reader integration, you should know that Flud can import your feeds from Google Reader. The one limitation is that reading them in Flud does not automatically mark them as read in Google Reader. With this much improvement in three weeks, we can only imagine what is coming from Flud in the future. For only $1.99, this is a great investment for your iPad's app library.

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