Zite 2.1

A couple of days ago, I was excited to see an update to my favorite “personalized magazine” app. After sharing my thoughts about the Zite 2.0, I felt it was appropriate to give this follow-up post.

First and foremost – I was happy to see Google+ sharing integration restored and tighter coupling with Evernote is a nice feature! Thank you Zite team!

I have no idea if Zite was re-branded based on my previous blog post, but I think it was the right thing to do. It was a confusing brand move and really didn’t fit the purpose of the application.

Other users have left “not so happy” reviews in the iTunes Store regarding icon color. In my opinion, while branding truly matters, the color of an icon can be overlooked when the application is useful. For an example of this, see any Microsoft product.

Holding on to the Zite 1.0 app interface would have been a poor decision from my perspective. The new interface is more organized and the gestures are easier to use; even better in 2.1! Though I still find issues with the new interface, such as the Share button doesn’t always work if you scroll down in an article few – but that is what “sprints” are for.

Two missing elements to Zite sharing are getting integration with Buffer and allowing a +1 in Google+ capability (though that may not be supported yet).

Overall the application is headed in the right direction and, contrary to some reviewers, the team did listen to the feedback that users gave them. You always have to pick and choose what to address and they did a good job.

List of updates from the iOS screen.

One last thing that I should point out to the Zite team. Don’t forget to update your favicon on the website!