With my use of multiple online appliances the prospect of coordinating bookmarks and online research had become rather problematic. This lessened any use of my NetBook’s browser bookmarks (whether my Firefox or Google Chrome installs), and with such services as Delicious.com, and Foxmarks (later XMarks) either defunct or in the process of moving to new owners (XMarks is now owned by LastPass, and I am waiting to see if it is worth trying out again…) I was left with fewer and fewer options.
First off, I found that there were several interrelated apps worth looking into. From my teaching background (and from assiduously checking out edu-blogs) I found out about Diigo (a bookmarking, researching, social bookmarking app), and installed it on my Firefox browser. They also have an iPhone app (of some, but marginal value).
I also started using Read it later as a means to save unread articles, and over time I started to use this app as another form of bookmarking tool. While Diigo provides so many ways to tag, comment, highlight and save pages (by themselves, as saved webpages, as a collaboration, saved in specific groups of bookmarks, and many other features), I found that Read it later (when installed on my Firefox installation on my NetBook) added simply a check on the address bar (if you check it, it is saved). The elegance and simplicity of saving information in this manner was worth it for me.
Later on with my new iPad, I tried out Instapaper. This app is quite similar to Read it later (in concept) with the addition of rendering the saved pages to only the articles and graphics…that is, without all of the associated claptrap which so many sites plug into every available nook and cranny. Especially on the iPad, this rendered saved articles into an austere, clean reading environment.
I have all three of these apps for the differences they have (as well as for the similarities they have). With Diigo, I have a real bookmarking tool, which allows me to do real online research. With Read it later I have an incredibly fast and simple way to grab articles worth checking out again (but not necessarily worth keeping for the long term). And for Instapaper, I have a means to render long and sometimes complex articles into more readable and therefore into a more understandable presentation.
As far as how well integrated these three apps work, I can say that on my iPhone (all three work), and my NetBook (I use all three of them either as Firefox plug-ins, or deal with the websites) they all work, on the iPad, I could load up the Diigo iPhone app (problematic) but have wonderful apps for both Instapaper and Read it later.
There are more complex online research tool available (for specific devices), and there might be simpler bookmarking tools out there (if that is even possible), but if you have any interest in keeping track of things you run across, and deal with online research (to any degree) and consumption of these articles, I can’t think of better apps out there.
Instapaper Blog Preview: Instapaper on iPad
TechCrunch Instapaper For The iPad May Be the First Killer App. And It Will Be Universal.
AppCraver Instapaper
Gigaom Read It Later Introduces iPad App, “Digest” View
Digitized Diigo: the ultimate bookmarks solution
