Earlier today Flipboard launched for Windows 8.1. This app, which is basically a feed of all your social networks and news sources combined together, is debatably the best app you can currently get on tablets computers. Since Windows 8’s launch last Autumn, Flipboard has been teased on forums and at various event, then at Build 2013 we discovered that a Flipboard app was in the works. The app was finally revealed at a Nokia conference last month. There the app, customised for Windows 8.1, was running on Nokia Lumina 2520 and boasted many of the same features that are included in the iOS and Android versions of the app.The app became available to download from the App Marketplace earlier today and it has already started a buss on various websites and social networks. The app is admittedly not as nice as the iOS and Android one; the colours aren’t as mice, it keeps coming up with a warning message and then crashing every time I try and add something to one of my magazines plus it seems quite slow (however that might just be because I am running it on a Microsoft Surface RT).
Despite this, Flipboard seems to have made use of the wide screen on my Surface because some of the content displays in new ways unseen on the iOS and Android versions. Some of the content even displays in a beautiful full screen box.
As far as functionality goes, you have the same discovery tab at the top that you would find on other versions of the app, you can create and add content to your magazines, and GIFs and YouTube clips even play inline (without you needing to open the link).
Flipboard has made some changes to optimise the app for Windows 8.1. For example, if you use a mouse on your PC, you can flip through your content by simply scrolling down. Also, you can pin feeds to your Start screen for easy access.
In my opinion, Flipboard will be on parr with the iOS and Android versions as soon as the bugs are fixed. It is a great app and available for download here: http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/app/flipboard/e62e393a-acc9-40d9-a34a-13a41f2eeef0