Zite: APPS-olutely Fabulous Returns!

image credit: adamr on freedigitalphotos.com

After a bit of a hiatus, we're bringing back our APPS-olutely Fabulous feature here at the NCS Library blog! The lists of available iPad/tablet and smartphone apps keep growing daily--at almost alarming rates!  It can be difficult to keep track of them and sometimes surfing through the Apple app store can be overwhelming.  So every two weeks, we'll highlight a different app that we've discovered to particularly interesting, useful, and (hopefully) fun!

This week, our featured app is Zite, the personalized news reader that goes above and beyond the call of duty!  While there are many great ways to keep track of your favorite websites, blogs, and new sources on your tablet or smartphone, Zite stands out.  Zite (whose name comes from the word, "zeigeist") does more that simply track your favorite RSS feed in shiny new format; it also gathers new content based on your interests and your use of the app.  In much the same way a tool like Pandora suggests new musical artists based on your stated preferences and your ratings of new songs, Zite's personalized article collecting improvesas you use it.  So Zite not only creates a personalized magazine for viewing on your tablet or phone; it also helps you discover new content daily.

An example Zite homepage!

You can download Zite for free and it is currently available for iPad, iPhone, HP TouchPad, and Android phones.  When you first begin using Zite, you can give the app access to some of your existing methods for tracking content online, including your Twitter, Google Reader, and Delicious accounts.  The app will use information from these sources in addition to content areas you select or add to customize your personalized magazine.   

If you have a favorite app that you think we should highlight, 

tell an NCS librarian or leave a comment here!