 |
   |
Visit min's sister site:  |
|
|
|
|
BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS
Top 5 iPad Apps Worth Imitating But outside of the magazine and newspaper worlds there are a handful of other media apps that have some cool takes on tablet formats that we think the print mags might want to steal. .jpg) 1. Netflix: As far as we are concerned Netflix is the closest thing to a killer app for the iPad. It taps into the same account, queue, and recommendation engine as does your PC account and even Xbox/PS3/Wii accounts. You can start and stop watching a movie from its Watch Instantly library on one of these platforms and pick it up on another platform right where you left off. The experience of truly seamless integration of media across platforms is very powerful. Even if publishers don’t have the assets of Netflix with which to work, this basic cross-platform flow of user identity and media is the holy grail. .PNG) 2. Guinness World Records: We’re surprised this visually stunning selection of offbeat world records and human oddities hasn’t gotten more press attention. It makes excellent use of the large screen by letting image cut-outs float atop a lush background. The presentation is thoroughly divorced from the print metaphor and it encourages you to interact with information through touch. Tapping an object brings up a box of multi-media for each record. This is a great example of designing outside of both TV and print boxes and working with the interface of touch and a large screen. .PNG) 3. New York Post Pix: Ooh, the urge to swipe through slideshows is satisfied with this great one-trick pony. All you get are big, fat images of the news, sports and celebs of the day. And that is good enough. Even better, the images have translucent captions that are ever-present but never intrude. Unlike other iPad and iPhone slideshows, which require a second tap for the rich caption, this one just lets you glide through the images of the day and absorb both text and photos quickly. Tools for media sharing and converting any image to an iPad wallpaper are prominent and easy to use. This is image surfing done right.  4. Marvel Comics: The comic book reader and storefront is a superb example of how well large, colorful art work performs on this platform. The really cool part of the app is the way in which it walks the reader through frame by frame of the comic book art. The media is re-purposed but the impact is different and dramatic when a comic book frame is rendered at this scale and the user is pulled through it. The comics reader advances us through a visual narrative of static images but with a sense of motion. Magazine should think about how they might appropriate the technique to tell stories. This approach respects the frame and visual impact of the device more than most magazine apps we hvae seen. .PNG) 5. Das.: This branded app from Volkswagen has a number of cool ideas that never overwhelm the interface. Video, image and text experiences are nicely integrated and often seem to float above the screen. The interface uses prominent and clear arrows and labels to broadcast the meaning of buttons. The user is never disoriented about where she is or what to do next, something the early magazine iPad apps should appopriate. Again, it is a magazine that feels more like a content-filled space and less like a re-think of print. Any iPad apps you think deserve special mention or attention by your magazine colleagues? Add to the comments section below. If you have breaking news to share please contact Steve Smith at ssmith@accessintel.com COMMENTS
1.
I think National Geographic has done a great job with their iPhone apps (one about birds and one that's an Atlas). Would love to see what they could put together on the iPad with such a huge beautiful screen.
Posted by Amanda @ Amander.com on Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 02:42 PM
|
App Central min's App Central (for min subscribers only): Stay on top of mobile app developments with exclusive app reviews, analysis and data. 
Please enter the following information to have a link to The Skinny emailed to your iPhone:
White Papers
min Contests
EventsBest of the Web, April 3, 2012 Check out the photos from min's Most Intriguing event min Press
 Events Calendar
min's Best of the Web Awards |
.jpg)
Internet Sales Guidebook| Copyright © 2012 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Access Intelligence, LLC is prohibited. For more details please see Terms and Conditions. |
