When Instapaper was released for Android in mid-2012, it was short on features and barely compared to the gorgeous, high-performance iOS experience. But in a few short months, the app has come a long way, and with the latest update developer Mobelux puts the app on equal footing with its native cousin.
First, the devs have added The Feature, a hugely popular curated section of editor-recommended content. This was the precursor to Marco Arment’s The Magazine and shines a light on some spectacular long-form articles from around the web.
Version 1.2 also adds a long-requested Pagination Mode which better emulates the feeling of a magazine or book. You can also use the phone’s accelerometer to scroll through an article by tilting up or down, which feels quite natural after a few minutes. The app also now has in-line footnotes and many performance improvements.
The real question is whether users are willing to pay $3 for Instapaper for Android when an ad-free experience is available without charge in Pocket for Android, one of the platform’s best apps of 2012 as decided by Google. Pocket has many of the aforementioned features and arguably a better reading experience, especially on larger tablets.
Still, it’s comforting to see Instapaper so improved on Android after many months of stasis, and we look forward to a long, healthy and profitable existence on the platform.
Download Instapaper for Android.
Via: Twitter
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