If you’re a fan of Flipboard or Zite, you’ll immediately understand the concept of Editions by AOL, a new iPad-only daily “magazine” personalized to your interests and presented in a decidedly sexy new way. But will that be enough for AOL’s new effort to stand out in this increasingly crowded market?
AOL, Inc. has released Editions by AOL, billed as “a beautiful new daily magazine that reads you.” The idea will be familiar to iPad users who love apps such as Flipboard, Pulse or Zite -- select some of your interests and they’ll be presented in a clean, attractive manner on your tablet display.
However, in the case of Editions by AOL, the idea is to create your own daily magazine, complete with slick graphics that cater exclusively to your interests. Many users find Flipboard overrated, Pulse not graphic enough and Zite occasionally too random, so those are clearly the users AOL hopes to attract with the free Editions app.
The concept behind Editions by AOL is to create a new issue of a daily magazine customized to your interests, every day. Users can choose what time of day to have the magazine “delivered” via push notification, so the experience is a bit more like subscribing to The Daily (without the weekly fee), but knowing in advance that most of the content will be of interest to you. If you want to see more or less of a given website or category, simply tap the appropriate buttons on screen and next time Editions will adjust to those new settings.
One big advantage Editions by AOL has is that it taps into your local news and weather -- simply by entering your zip code, you’ll receive all the breaking news from your own neck of the woods, with the company touts as a first for iPad magazines. Users can also connect via Facebook (as well as Twitter and AOL) and sync your calendar with Editions to quickly see at a glance what your day looks like, including the birthdays of family and friends.
If you’re bored with the current crop of iPad magazines or looking for something a little more customizable, Editions by AOL is worth a look. The 18.1MB download is compatible with all iPads running iOS 4.0 or later and available from the App Store now.
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