Taptu, the self-proclaimed DJ of news aggregators, offers a blend of RSS feeds and social network feeds into what they call a social news stream. The already a popular iPhone and iPad app just had a major overhaul with the release of version 2.1.

The biggest change is to the interface; the app now displays articles as stacks of cards arranged by category. The introduction of search streams that allow users to turn any keyword into its own news feed is also very cool.

In addition, users no longer need a Taptu account to have cross-device account syncing. Logging in with Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn will do the trick instead. There is now support for Spanish, French and German and Readability integration – a particularly nice touch.

The only trouble seems to be with the apparent Retina display support for the 3rd generation iPad. While Taptu claims it’s fully upgraded, users report it’s anything but. Everything looks fine on 4th generation iPhones and the iPad 2, but on the newest Apple tablets the text is apparently blurry and hard to read. The developers seem dedicated to the long-term success of the cross-platform service, however, so we hope and expect this will be remedied in an update soon.

FREE!

Taptu - DJ your News

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-11-09 :: Category: News

Ever since man learned how to record their own thoughts, so many moons ago, they have been pontificating on personal ideals and idioms that to others would be seemingly meaningless.  This joyous, and in many cases therapeutic process is called journaling.  Maybe most people have moved on to more Web 2.0 methods of recording thought, utilizing services like Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter, but there are still some that prefer the more solitary method of keeping ideas to yourself that the good ‘ol fashioned pen-to-paper can only provide.

This all changed with the introduction of the iOS app Momento, which allowed you to create a digital fingerprint of your inner-most thoughts and preserve them forever.  Recently the application made the jump to version 2.0 which led to the introduction of numerous new features, including:

Connect Momento with popular web services to fill your diary with your online activity. In minutes Momento can build a record of each day, using the information and media you have shared online. A fast, effective and effortless way to record your life.

• Tweets from Twitter
• Facebook Statuses
• Flickr Photos
• Last.fm Loved Tracks
• RSS/Atom Feeds
• Foursquare Checkins
• Gowalla Checkins
• Diggs from Digg
• YouTube Videos
• Vimeo Videos

Knowing how egocentric some people have become with their web personalities, I am amazed that nobody has thought of this sooner. Just the idea of allowing you to journal in the app, or simply import all of your existing microblogs is nothing short of genius. Momento could be that silver bullet to preserving your entire history of interactions, all in one centralized location.

Also, you won’t need to worry about losing your information as part of an iOS update gone horribly awry, because they have now added in backup and restore functionality as well.  These backup files can be exported to an external device or source for safe keeping, thereby keeping your memories safe forever.  Any aspiring Doogie Howser should give this a look, at least for posterity sake.

$2.99

Momento (Diary/Journal)

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-23 :: Category: Lifestyle