Flipboard today updated its iPad app (free, App Store) with Flickr, RSS and a much greater emphasis on two-way interaction. The new photo source gives users images from their Flickr contacts as well as favorites, groups and individual users. RSS comes through Google Reader and lets users filter by folders, shared items and starred items.
Facebook and Twitter now allow more interaction and permit updates rather than just comments. The updates are cross-platform and will let a story found on Twitter share through Facebook or in the reverse direction. Navigating either is more refined and allows visiting fan pages, friend lists and groups in Facebook as well as narrowing Twitter to favorites, @ mentions and both public as well as private lists.
Regardless of the source, Flipboard now jumps directly to the full website when tapping an excerpt instead of simply offering a larger preview. The approach is designed to integrate tightly with Flipboard Pages when the optimized sites come into play.
The app has had a relatively strong start and was labeled Apple’s iPad app of the year for its use of the tablet form factor, providing a print-style layout but still connecting it to modern Internet features. The app has yet to reach Android or any other platform.
