Flipboard Brings Sound Effect to Your Social Magazine

The new edition of Flipboard (claimed to be the world’s first social magazine), released Tuesday, is all about sound. Anyone with Flipboard on Apple’s iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch can now listen to audio shared on SoundCloud and radio programming from NPR and Public Radio International (PRI), all while reading their Flipboard.

Additionally, Flipboard is now more accessible for users with visual disabilities, integrating Apple’s VoiceOver features into the experience. Once VoiceOver is turned on in the settings of an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, the gestures to control Flipboard change and everything on a page is read out aloud. For instance, with one tap on a section a voice reads the title; a double-tap opens it.

To start exploring the wide range of audio now on Flipboard, a new “Audio” category has been added to the Content Guide, which opens when a user taps on the red ribbon or magnifying glass in the top right corner of their Flipboard.

[ Also Read: After Social Media, Here Comes a Social Magazine ]

The Audio category features NPR and PRI programs — segments from shows such as Fresh Air and PRI’s The World as well as Flipboard’s recommendations of SoundCloud users ranging from updates from This Week in Tech to original beats from Snoop Dogg and songs from Atlantic Records’ artists.

SoundCloud is a leading social sound platform that lets anyone create, record, promote and share their sounds on the web in a simple, accessible and feature-rich way. With the new integration, Flipboard users can easily browse SoundCloud to discover sounds or use their SoundCloud account and access sounds from people they follow and lists they’ve created.

[ Also Read: How to Drive Digital and Social Cars ]

Existing SoundCloud users simply select the Accounts tab on Flipboard to connect to their SoundCloud network and then listen to, comment on and like sounds right from Flipboard.

Once a track is selected, Flipboard users can read other sections while the audio plays in the background, a new capability that lets people listen while they continue flipping through their Flipboard.

The next track in the section will automatically play; a section can be a series of NPR or PRI shows, curated interviews or a “set” of your favorite sounds on SoundCloud. The music note icon in the bottom left corner of every page makes it easy to control audio tracks from anywhere in Flipboard.

You can start reading your magazine by downloading Flipboard at www.flipboard.com. The company is based in Palo Alto, California.