The Instapaper 4.2.2 ($4.99) bills itself as "a
simple tool to save Web pages for reading later." That is an apt
description, as it lets anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch—and a
serious Web browsing habit—save Web articles and read them offline, or
at a more convenient time. The latest version features a number of
additions since the app's 2010 debut, fixing many of the issues we had
with the app's initial release.
How It WorksWhen Instapaper first launched, you
had to first register at Instapaper.com, as you couldn't create an
account from within the app. No more. Instapaper now lets you sign up
for an account from within the app, which makes it feel like a true
standalone piece of software instead of an extension of the website.
Tapping the Web icon opens an address bar in which
you can key in an URL. I like that I could do this within Instapaper
and not in Safari; Pocket (free, 4 stars), Instapaper's rival "read it
later" app, requires you to install a bookmarklet into mobile Safari
which has a somewhat confusing setup. When you come across a webpage of
note, you simply tap "Read Later" in the upper-right corner of the
screen to bookmark the page. Saved sites synced to the Web version of
Instapaper nearly instantaneously, but, curiously, I couldn't save a few
top-level domains, only their individual pages.
There's also an applet that you can drag onto your
computer's Web browser. This will add a "Read Later" option to your
bookmark list. From that point on, any time you visit a Web page, or
even see a headline in Google Reader, you can Click Read later to send
it to Instapaper.
You can view all of your saved pages by tapping the "Read Later"
icon. The links are presented in a grid that features the articles title
and the first few lines of text. Tapping a square opens a stripped down
version of the story with just text and images, but you can use the
"Open in Browser" option to see the real deal. As with Pocket,
Instapaper lets you can read these articles without a wireless
connection, this makes Instapaper ideal for commuting home on the subway,
or any scenario where you would be unable to connect to the Web. You
can also read your Instapaper collection on the Web using any browser,
but of course, that requires an Internet connection. Once you have read
an article, you can move it to your archive. The app will store up to
500 articles.
Unfortunately, you need to shell out additional money to search
article text: $2.99 for a 3 month subscription, $5.99 for a 6 month
subscription, and $11.99 for a 1 year subscription. Frankly, this comes
off as a bit of a nickel-and-dime as I've already dropped $5 on the
app—search should be included at no extra charge. Still, it's not huge
ding as most users won't need the feature.
ExtrasInstapaper serves up numerous sharing
options. You can fire off links to others via email, Evernote, Facebook,
Pinboard, Tumblr, and Twitter. You can also sign into any of those
services to find friends who've liked articles on Instapaper. I liked
this, as I was able to check out articles from people with similar
interests. Pocket lacks this social element.
Instapaper also has a section called "The Feature," editorial
selections from the best articles saved to Instapaper. The stories came
from outlets such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Wired, and other
high-profile and popular outlets.
The Wrap on InstapaperInstapaper represents
everything I love about software—it's a simple, elegant solution to a
universal problem. It isn't as real-time or interactive as
Flipboard (Free,
4.5 stars), but that's because it's designed for offline reading (in
fact, you can use Instapaper to save Flipboard articles). To be clear,
if you aren't the type of person who finds the Web filled with curious
stories that you would read if you just had a little more time,
Instapaper isn't for you. For me, however, Instapaper is an essential
app; its overall usefulness makes it an Editors' Choice award winner,
and a must-download for any iPad owner.
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