Pulse (Application)
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| Developer(s) | Alphonso Labs |
|---|---|
| Initial release | May 2010 |
| Platform | Web Browsers, iOS, Android |
| Type | News aggregator |
| Website | www.pulse.me |
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This article reads like a news release, or is otherwise written in an overly promotional tone. (March 2013) |
Pulse is an app for Android,[1] iOS and HTML5 browsers, originally released in 2010. The application displays news from multiple RSS feeds in a single page using a tile based interface. Pulse has been praised by users for its sleek, easy to use design. The app has gone through three major updates since its original release, the latest in November 2012. Alphonso Labs (the creator) now has a team consisting of about 25 people working on it full-time, a stark contrast when compared to the original two person team when founded in 2010.
When first released, Pulse retailed for $4.99 on the app store. This was later reduced to $1.99 before being made a free application. For a long time after the app was made free, Alphonso Labs decided not to monetize the app and instead focused on gaining a larger user base. In 2012, sponsored articles started appearing in certain news feeds, being marked with an orange megaphone.
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History [edit]
Pulse was originally released in May 2010 for the Apple iPad. The app was created by Ankit Gupta and Akshay Kothari (two Stanford graduate students) as part of a course at the Institute of Design. The inspiration for Pulse was borne out of their frustration with the news reading experience on mobile devices. It received positive reviews and was praised for its intuitive and easy to use interface.[2] The app even received mention by Steve Jobs at WWDC 2010.
On June 8th, the app was temporarily removed from the App Store hours after it was praised by Apple founder Steve Jobs at WWDC 2010, because The New York Times complained to Apple Inc. about the app pulling content from their feed, even though that feed was in use by other apps in the App Store. The app was approved once again and restored to the App Store later the same day after removing the The New York Times feed.[3][4]
On the 2nd July that year a version of the app was released for iPhone and iPod touch named Pulse News Mini.[5] It featured the same slick interface and features as the iPad version on a smaller scale. Later that month the app was also released for Android smartphones.[6]
On the 1st October Pulse version 2.0 was released, this update included the ability to add up to 60 news feeds and introduced pages that could be configured to show different types of news.[7]
On 15th November Pulse was made a free app for iOS and Android.[8]
In 2011 Pulse was selected as one of 50 apps in Apple’s App Store Hall of Fame and named one of TIME’s top 50 iPhone apps of the year. This raised the profile of the app helping it to gain even more popularity.[9][10]
On August 9th 2012 a Pulse web app was announced. The app featured a radically different design using different sized tiles put together to form a 'mosaic' like interface. Written in HTML5 the app works with all modern web browsers, however a special partnership formed between Alphonso Labs and Microsoft brings unique features such as gestures to users of Internet Explorer 10.[11]
On the 8th November 2012 Pulse 3.0 was released for iOS and Android. It included a redesigned sidebar similar to the one found on the web app for switching between pages. Also included in the update was a new icon and the ability to add an unlimited number of news feeds.[12]
On April 11th 2013 it was announced[13] as previously rumoured[14] that LinkedIn had purchased Pulse from Alphonso Labs for $90 million. It appears that for the near future the app will remain largely unchanged, however the companies are likely to work closely to integrate the two services.[15]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Pulse Is Now Alive And Kicking On Android"
- ^ "Pulse: Why I almost didn't return my iPad"
- ^ "Pulse: Why I almost didn't return my iPad". CNN. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "New York Times kills off the Pulse iPad news app". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "Pulse For iPhone Lands"
- ^ "Pulse Is Now Alive And Kicking On Android"
- ^ "Pulse News Reader for iPad 2.0: More sources, better organization"
- ^ "Pulse News Reader for iOS now free"
- ^ "50 Best iPhone Apps 2011"
- ^ "About Pulse"
- ^ "Pulse Launches a Beautiful Web App"
- ^ "Pulse 3.0 update for iOS and Android brings new design, better search and more."
- ^ "Welcome Pulse to the LinkedIn family"
- ^ "LinkedIn reportedly set to buy Pulse news reader"
- ^ "Pulsejoins the LinkedIn family"
