The Best Personalized Magazines for Android Tablets

You’ve probably seen the popular iPad app Flipboard; there are a number of competitors on iOS, most notably Zite. That crowded market looks different on an Android tablet though – so what’s an Android tablet owner to do? I’ve tested four of the closest personalized magazine-style news apps I can find and here are my impressions. These apps are great to kick back with on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee or on a plane ride. (If you can avoid the many conversations people on the plane will want to have with you about your Android tablet.)

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Taptu and Pulse

Taptu is a lot like Pulse, which is many peoples’ favorite way to read news on an Android Tablet. I mean it’s a lot like Pulse, now that it’s no longer a mobile search app like it used to be.

The background colors are different. It syncs with social media accounts so you can read updates from LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter alongside topical and source-based feeds. Topic granularity is good, the interface is attractive and the app is free.

Syncing with Google Reader is limited to 100 feeds, which makes it of little use to me personally. Pulse is limited as well, but that might not matter to many other people.

FeedSquares

Feedsquares syncs with Google Reader and displays all your subscriptions and articles in an attractive interface of squares. Feedquares is also free and could be visually ideal for some users.

Feedly

Feedly syncs with Google Reader and has no limit to the number of feeds you can import. It offers updates in a very clean layout with more white space than any of the alternatives. It’s a cross-platform app that also works on the iPad, iPhone and in desktop browsers. It’s a smart, well-developed service. When the iPhone version launched in January, I said it might be the best mobile feed reader on the market.

Those are the best alternatives to Flipboard that I’ve been able to find for Android tablets. All of them are pretty good and I think Feedly is great. Many other people swear by Pulse. These aren’t quite like the magazine type apps you see on iOS, but they can make for a great weekend afternoon of casual reading none the less.

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