Twitter has just launched its first official iPad application, and the reviews so far have been glowing. The new app offers a few notable features, such as panes for interacting with content within a stream, media which displays inline without slowing you down and gesture support for common Twitter actions. What stands out the most about this new application is not a summary of its features, however. It's how the app fits into this growing trend that positions the iPad as the go-to device for consuming streams. With its touchscreen interface, the Apple tablet is ideal for both viewing and interacting with flows of information - not just tweets, but also Facebook status updates, news, RSS feeds, photos and more. With the official Twitter for iPad application, the process for interacting with Twitter's fast-updating stream of content has been addressed through the use of panes. You tap on tweets to open Read More

YouTube Channels, Mobile Apps and Barcoded Pages In partnership with Entertainment Weekly, YouTube just announced the launch of a specialized site for getting a sneak peek at the new television season which includes "bite-sized previews of programs, reality TV, comedies, dramas and more." The site, which is essentially just an EW-branded YouTube channel, isn't all that notable in and of itself . But it's just one of EW's many digital initiatives as of late. This print-mag-turned-media-company has also launched a number of other digital offerings over the past months, including a popular "Must List" app for the iPad and now iPhone, the integration of 2D barcodes into its print pages and experiments with video-in-print ads. Entertainment Weekly, which also runs the successful digital property at EW.com, has never been one to shy away from embracing the digital age, and this YouTube channel is only a small part of that. In a Read More

Launched this week, ABC News for iPad is a notable free application which continues the trend of companies developing innovative and creative interfaces designed specifically for tablet-sized touch screens. The new app, which includes photos, videos and various news stories, presents the content in a 3D spinning globe which users can shake, spin and tap with their fingers. The content featured within the app is pulled from ABC News properties like "Good Morning America," "World News with Diane Sawyer," "20/20," "This Week," "Nightline" and others. Users can also tap a "browse" button to filter content by top stories, most popular, video only, U.S., International, and several other categories. An archives section includes articles, photos and videos from "this day in history" (although it actually goes back a couple of days) and there, iPad visitors have access to exclusive content not found on the ABC News website itself. Upon first launch, iPad Read More