News application Flipboard is expanding the choice of platforms that customers can read news content on with a mobile application this is optimized specifically for Android tablets.

According to a Flipboard executive, an app optimized for Android tablets was a top request from users. Flipboard may be available on Android smartphones and iPad and iPhone devices.

“Tablets are a hot item for the vacations however the biggest request we had was for an Android tablet app,” said Marci McCue, vice chairman of promoting at Flipboard, Palo Alto, CA.

“We care about to ensure that we give a very good experience and rethink how one can develop content for various devices,” she said.

Different form factors
The new Flipboard Android app is formatted to suit seven-inch and ten-inch tablets.

Samsung tablet and Note 10.1 users could be ready to access Flipboard with an upcoming software update.

Fragmentation remains a matter for Android devices, making it difficult for marketers and publishers to determine which size screen to design for.

Flipboard is aiming to beat those issues with page layouts which have been designed for most of the more common Android tablets, similar to Google’s seven-inch and ten-inch Nexus devices.

Additionally, Android tablet users can save more sections of the app and think about larger article summaries.

The Andoid smartphone version of the app was rolled out earlier this year. Consumers with seven-inch tablets that experience previously downloaded the app will now be prompted to upgrade to the tablet-optimized version.

Over the past year, Android tablets have made a touch within the mobile space.

By developing an app that’s specific to the devices, Flipboard is proving that it desires to have a presence on every platform.

Moreover, consumers are increasingly swapping out their PCs for tablets for everyday tasks similar to news consumption.

Mobile past
Flipboard originally launched in 2010 to be able to package digital content right into a personalized iPad app that mirrored the experience of reading a mag.

Since then, Flipboard has expanded to be available on iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets.

Additionally, the corporate has grown to incorporate greater than news articles.

Last year, Bud Light and Paramount became the 1st sponsors with Flipboard’s foray into television and picture content (see story).

Moreover, earlier this year Flipboard branched out to incorporate book content that pointed users to Apple’s iBookstore to purchase content, which Flipboard got a percentage of.

An advertising model corresponding to Flipboard’s other apps could be rolled out on for the Android tablet app within the first quarter of 2013, per Ms. McCue.

Publishers who advertise inside Flipboard are chargeable for selling their very own ad units, which Flipboard then receives a part of.

“We are likely to discuss the user experiences first after which roll out the advertising models,” Ms. McCue said.

“The next big thing can be centered at the evolution at the product to make it a more magazine-like and personalized,” she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York