Zite is a genius! No, really...it is. The latest magazine app was developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Laboratory for Computational Intelligence. Zite goes beyond what other digital magazine apps out there are doing and it makes me feel like it truly cares about my interests. The app can learn your reading habits and then customize a nice magazine interface with contents based on your interests. Zite sifts through the noise and extra stuff and actually provide you with information that you want to know about. This is something that CEO and founder, Ali Devar, set out to accomplish with Zite. “What’s broken is there’s so much stuff out there, and I don’t know how to get to it,” says Devar. “There’s no automatic system that’s catching the important stuff I miss every day. Search doesn’t solve it. Social doesn’t solve it. A lot of [Zite beta testers] came back to us and said, ‘Thank goodness, here’s something that gives me my content and more, but filters it for me.’ People are feeling the pain, and they need it resolved.”
By skipping over a news brief or reading a story after reading the headline, users are telling the app whether or not they like a specific article or even news source which, in turn, Zite will use for future use. Unlike other apps like Pulse, Fluid or Flipboard, where you pick your new source and content, Zite goes beyond manual customization, automating the process and continuously refining the process every time you use the app.
By skipping over a news brief or reading a story after reading the headline, users are telling the app whether or not they like a specific article or even news source which, in turn, Zite will use for future use. Unlike other apps like Pulse, Fluid or Flipboard, where you pick your new source and content, Zite goes beyond manual customization, automating the process and continuously refining the process every time you use the app.
Looking at the app, I like the intuitive design; it reminds me of Pandora music station or even Netflix which has a personalize feel. I, also, appreciate the apps ability to provide news that I want from sources I may generally not take a second glance at. I do, however, think that Flipboard’s interface is nicer and more attractive, giving off that digital magazine feel. Zite does have the potential to do great things and for it to be release today, it has great staying power and may even be able to knock “Apples Favorite iPad app of 2010” off its pedestal.
