Thanks to its big, beautiful screen, the iPad is a great way to read traditional Newsstand-style magazines in a new, digital way. Because the iPad is online, however, and can be hooked into everything from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to social networks like Facebook and Twitter, it can also be a lot more. It can be a dynamic, personalized magazine filled with things that are important to you, recommended by the people you trust most, or updated based on your previous likes or dislikes. Flipboard, Zite, and Pulse have all sought to make dynamic, personal, sometimes even social magazine apps for the iPad, and they've all gone about it in a different way. Which one is the absolute best? Lets take a look!

User Interface

While all three have great layouts, you can literally see the attention to detail in Flipboard. Everything from the way pages flip downwards to how tiles fold to reveal sections is beautifully done.

Flipboard, Zite, and Pulse all have great interfaces that makes it easy for readers to navigate around and explore news and social sites.

Flipboard is just fun. The cover page is full of big, bold squares and rectangles that highlight photos and images and give you categories to choose from. You navigate by literally flipping the boards to drill deeper into sections and stories. The layout inside the sections is crisp and clean and you can easily flip through until you find a story that catches your eye. Tap a story you like and you're zoomed into a full-screen view. If you want to move tiles around or don't want a specific section, hold down on a tile just like you would to move around app icons on your homescreen. You can then move them around and delete sections you aren't interesting in reading (you can always restore them later via settings if you'd like). Once you're done deleting and organizing, just tap any tile to exit edit mode.

Zite keeps things simple by using white space so there is no distraction from content. Click into an article or view more of a category using the main navigation bar on the left. There's nothing to find hidden away. It's simple and clean throughout.

Zite uses lots of white space and it's Top Stories page looks like the table of contents of a contemporary, modern magazine. Sections are off to the side and rendered in big, beautiful type, and individual stories are shown in a spartan, stripped down, almost "read later" style.

Pulse has the most going on in terms of homescreen layout. While some users may consider it to be too busy, others may like having access to more information in just a few flicks.

Pulse has the densest cover page of the three, and is set on black instead of white. Not only does it fit a lot of content onto one page, but you can swipe through any of the horizontal sections to see even more stories. Tap on one you like and a panel slides over to show you the story. You can swipe sideways inside the panel to move between stories, and because the cover page remains visible, keep swiping between the sections as well to keep browsing even more quickly.

All three are very well designed. However, the award has to go to Flipboard. Everything from the carefully crafted icon to the way pages flip and tiles fold down to view sections is beautiful and intelligently thought out. It's one of those apps that you want to use just because the interface is so enjoyable.

Content

Flipboard allows you to add, order, and remove topics and sections that you want to read. Beyond that, there isn't too much customization for content.

Content is king for a reason. No matter how beautiful an app may be, if there's nothing in it, its value will be limited. When it comes to content, Flipboard, Zite, and Pulse all have their strengths and weaknesses.

Flipboard integrates RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. So if you're looking for an app that allows you to not only keep up with news but with friends and family, Flipboard offers an incredibly personalized experience.

Pulse takes it a step further than Flipboard and allows you to search for feeds or search from recommendations. But unless you know exactly what you're looking for, you won't get customized content.

Pulse allows you to add individual RSS feeds on their own as well as browse for news. There is no Facebook and Twitter integration, though you can sign in with your Facebook account. Pulse will provide suggestions for feeds but nothing that's very customized.

While all three allow you to pick general news feeds, Zite takes it one step further by allowing you to rate stories and authors. It will then show you more of the content you like and less of what you don't like.

That's where Zite comes in swinging. While Flipboard and Pulse basically pull in the information you've already decided you want to look at, Zite aims to personalize and improve your reading experience over time. When you first launch Zite you can grant it access to your Twitter, Google Reader, Delicious, and Read it Later accounts as a starting point. From there it'll provide you news that it thinks you'll enjoy. If you find a story you don't care for, tap into it and give it a thumbs down. Zite will then stop showing you stories simliar to those. If you find a story, subject, or writer you enjoy following, give them a thumbs up and Zite will pull in more articles that are simliar or by the same author.

Flipboard's Facebook and Twitter integration means you get to see things your friends and the people you follow like. With Zite, you get to see things their continuously refined recommendation engine thinks you'll like. I've found tons of new sites, stories, and writers I enjoy thanks to Zite that I may never have found otherwise, and since I already use Facebook and Twitter in their own sites, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having them in Zite.

That gives Zite the edge.

Social sharing

You can share stories you enjoy straight to Twitter or Facebook from Pulse with the tap of a button. It does not, however, provide the deep integration for Twitter and Facebook so your streams populate in your feed like Flipboard does.

Zite, Pulse, and Flipboard all allow you to share stories to Facebook, Twitter, read later services, email, and many more. So there's really no clear winner in this category. Whichever one you decide to use, you'll be able to share things with anyone or any social circle you'd like. All three also support Instapaper and Read It Later.

Flipboard allows you to comment on stories as well as share them. You can also integrate your social networking feeds so you can keep up with friends straight from your main screen.

While Zite and Pulse only allow you to share stories to Facebook and Twitter, Flipboard actually allows you to pull in your Facebook and Twitter feeds. They'll filter in just like news. You can also see who is tweeting stories and you can comment on them as well as @ reply the creator if they're integrated into Twitter. So when it comes to social, all provide integration but Flipboard provides a more in-depth and personal experience.

When it comes to social networking, Flipboard gets the cake.

Cost

All three applications are free in the App Store so if you're debating between one or the other, there's really nothing to lose. Just download all three and stick with the one you find suits you the best.

Tie.

Conclusion

Flipboard is very well put together and integrates social networking in a way the other two don't. If you're heavily tied to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, this should be your go-to app. It's also got a unique layout that the others can't quite compete with just yet.

Pulse aims to pack a lot of information on the main screen by using tiles that slide horizontally and vertically. While quick access is important, so is what the app looks like. And to many users Pulse will be a bit too busy. If you're a power reader, you'll likely love Pulse. If not, it can be too much.

Zite has the simplest interface of the three and lets you really concentrate on reading. It may not be as fancy or fun, but for people who just want to read without distraction, it's fantastic.

While Flipboard, Zite, and Pulse all make reading news on the iPad an amazing experience, how they handle content is an important part of what makes one better than the other. For this reason, Zite takes the win. It's not only personal to each user, but it grows more personal over time as you use it. The way it recommends new content is something none of the other apps provide. Bottom line, Zite is the best social magazine app currently available on iPad.

Zite - Free - Download Now

Pulse - Free - Download Now

Flipboard - Free - Download Now

Additional Resources:

• Which magazine style news app do you use on your iPad?
• iPad apps and games forum
• Even more iPhone and iPad app reviews

Have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch and curious which are the best, most must-have RSS feed reading apps you need to check out? We've already covered readers in general, from eBooks to comics, but this time we really wanted to focus on RSS news. So if you want to keep your syndication really simple, and yourself up to date with the latest new, read on for TiPb's top 5 most recommended RSS feed readings apps for iOS.

NetNewsWire for iPhone, iPad

NetNewsWire is the granddaddy of iOS RSS readers and is still a favorite for many. It syncs with Google Reader, and while in version past that was a laborious process, improvements to both the app and iOS have made it much smoother these days. It's now been given a whole new codebase and has been picked up by a new team of dedicated developers so its quite possible grandaddy might just become the new, fresh kid on the block as well.

Rather than a universal binary for both iPhone and iPad, NetNewsWire has separate apps for both. There is, however, a free version for iPhone with ads that you can try before you buy. If you want a great way to organize and chew through your Google Reader-synced RSS feeds, give NetNewsWire a look.

• Free - iPhone App Store link
• $4.99 - iPhone App Store link
• $9.99 - iPad App Store link

The Early Edition for iPad

The Early Edition was one of the first RSS readers available for iPad when it launched and it's still iPad-exclusive to this day. Beautifully rendered in a newspaper-style motif, it won't sync with Google Reader but will import your feeds to get you started. You can flip pages in the same way you can in iBooks, and there's a familiar Action button to share your favorites.

Just like iPad itself, The Early Edition isn't meant to be an on-the-go, breaking news reader. It's meant for when you want to relax. When you have your feet up and a glass of wine or a latte close at hand. It's for when you have time to just enjoy your feeds.

• $4.99 - iPad App Store link

Reeder for iPhone, iPad

Reeder manages to sync with Google Reader but without the slowdown many other apps seem to experience. Indeed, for a sync-enabled app, it's smoking fast. It presents everything in a clean, clear interface that doesn't seek to ground you in tradition or wow you with modern effects.

If you just want to power through news on the go, get in, get informed, and get back out, Reeder is a great way to do just that. It's not a universal binary, however, which means you'll have to buy it separately for iPhone and for iPad.

• $4.99 - iPad App Store link
• $2.99 - iPhone App Store link

Flipboard for iPad

Flipboard is a fun, fancy way to not only keep up with your Google Reader RSS feeds, but also Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more. And that's both a blessing and a curse. If all you want is your news, just the facts and fast, then Flipboard may be eye-candy-coated social overkill. However, if you prefer your news filtered through your social networks, if you value sharing as much as gathering, the Flipboard can be a blast.

Because of all of the above, it feels better suited for quickly glancing through tons of content than for deep diving and focusing on news reading, but it's also free so you have nothing to lose by trying it. Except your time...

• Free - iPad App Store link

Pulse for iPad

When Pulse debuted it seemed like the RSS feed reader someone in the Star Trek universe would use. Geometric, colorful, and elegant its a mosaic view of your news and a great way to browse all the laster stories. Pulse doesn't sync with Google Reader but rather lets you import your feeds so you start off with the sites you want, where you want them.

While Pulse isn't a universal binary for iPhone and iPad, it is free so there's no pain or price involved in trying it out on all your iOS devices.

• Free - iPhone App Store link
• Free - iPad App Store link

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best RSS feed reader apps to get you going. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPad App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• PCalc RPN Calculator: A robust calculator with an optional RPN mode and multi-line display, a choice of button layouts, an extensive set of unit conversions, a paper tape, multiple undo and redo, engineering and scientific notation, as well as support for hexadecimal, octal, and binary calculations. Update to version 2.4 brings many enhancements. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Doodle Jump: New multiplayer racing achievements! Can you become the Racing Legend by winning 1000 races? or a Racing Hero by winning 500? Win 100 races and you'll be the Racing Champ! [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Pulse : Volume One: Enter an absorbing world where players become part conductor, part note-captor, part multi-touch master. Tap speeding notes as they cross the radiant pulse to conduct gorgeous original melodies. [$4.99 - iTunes link]

• Face Up! Greetings: Send a customized, animated greeting to anyone by choosing a high-quality background, adding one of your photos and recording a greeting. You can even change your voice! [Free - iTunes link]

• MyPad - for Facebook: A Facebook app for the iPad. Now with chat, re-share, auto-login and more! [Free - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

Jon from mophie was kind enough to once again give us a tour of their latest, greatest accessories and for 2011 that includes the haptic feedback Pulse gaming peripheral for iPod touch, the 360 degrees of productivity and entertainment courtesy of the Power Station for iPad, and the monstrous charge of the Juice Pack Plus.

TiPb was live on the scene at CES 2011 Unveiled, so check out the video above and the gallery after the break and let us know...

...is this how you want to game and power your iOS devices?

The Pulse RSS reader for iPad, featured just yesterday during Steve Jobs' WWDC 2010 keynote, is reportedly being removed from the iTunes App Store following a copyright complaint from the New York Times/The Boston Globe.

The gist of their demand letter is that Pulse comes pre-loaded with the NYTimes.com RSS feed and features it in screen shots, is a paid app, and thus commercially using their RSS feeds, and that it reframes the NYTimes.com and Boston.com websites, both of which the New York Times Company says is in violation of their copyright.

Pulse was written by two Stanford grad students, whom we're guessing have far fewer legal resources than the New York Times Company, but are now in a position where they have to answer the copyright violation charge and/or modify their app to no longer violate the copyright.

Now, Pulse wasn't scraping or stealing RSS content in the traditionally frowned-upon way -- they're an RSS reader like many, many others both on the desktop and on mobile devices. Was the only difference it's high profile thanks to WWDC and a previous feature in the New York Times itself? If so, what does this mean for other RSS readers?

[Boom Town, image via New York Times]

While our own Dear Leader is off live-blogging in San Francisco (no, sadly not for Apple but for CTIA oh, so close by), he hasn't forgotten us, and indeed has just sent in word from the field of Yahoo! oneConnect for -- what was last year's "device unmentionable" -- the iPhone.

"Pulse feature is sweet!"

And just was is the pulsey sweetness of which Dieter speaks? Yahoo! says:

Yahoo! oneConnect's "Pulse" view (pictured, via Business Wire) combines the social activity of the web with mobile phone contacts, providing consumers with a dynamic overview of what friends are up to.

oneConnect looks to be all about combining contacts, SMS, social status messages, and activities into one integrated view. Your social heads-up display, as it were. Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Yahoo! Connected Life, PR-speaks:

“The iPhone has ignited and captured the imagination of what a mobile phone can do. The rich feature set of the iPhone enables the best way to experience oneConnect. The powerful combination of Yahoo! Blueprint, the mobile platform, and the iPhone SDK, was leveraged to create this unique experience of oneConnect for millions of iPhone users.”

Preview's available now, for FREE, via iTunes!