The app is great to save online articles and blog posts that one might come across, but not have the time to read them immediately. The majority of pages will be saved in text-only format, and they can then be organized into folders or shared through web browsers.
According to Instapaper, the new app is mostly designed for tablets, “specifically for small tablets like Kindle Fire and Nook Color, large tablets like the Motorola Xoom as well as most Android phones running 2.1 (Eclair) and up”, smartphones being a secondary target. The new version of the app is currently available only on Google Play, but it will soon come to the Amazon App Store and the Nook Store.
Although they gave in to the Android app market, Instapaper is still a die-hard iOS app. While persuaded to give it a try by the huge success of the Android-based Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook, Instapaper creator Marco Arment is still an Apple groupie: “Android is not in my world. It’s not in my attention span most days,” he explained. “Thinking about the iOS app is a full-time job, and staying competitive on iOS is a full-time job.”
And to show their commitment to the iOS smartphones and tablets, Instapaper only launched the Android app after an update to their iPhone and iPad version. This version’s main new feature automatically downloads saved content whenever users reach certain locations, such as their homes or their office.
Regardless of personal preferences for one operating system or another, one thing is clear, sticking to just one means losing a great chunk of app buyers. That is why decisions to port apps from one smartphone and tabled OS to another are made based on business realities, not on which platform a certain company likes more.