Mac App spotlight: Pulp

It's apps like this one that makes me wonder if I need my iPad.

Pulp, an app available on the Mac App Store, makes reading online news and blogs as enjoyable as if it were on the iPad. I love this app. Sure Pulp has an iPad counterpart, but I prefer the Mac version. Here's why:

For me, the iPad is nothing more than a nifty online news reader. I don't play games, I hardly use it for video consumption, and even as a musician I hardly use GarageBand on the iPad (I've got a MacBook Pro with Pro Tools 9). The only thing I use my iPad for is skimming through the list of daily tech blogs to satisfy my nerdy curiosity. Anything beyond that, and I'm reaching for my MacBook. And it's Mac apps like these that keep me away from my iPad, making it more and more useless everyday.

Because my MacBook-to-iPad usage ratio is something like 99-to-1, I can just about replace my favorite tablet. And I can do it with style. Pulp is a personalized eNewspaper comprised of all the blogs and RSS feeds I choose, all put together in a unique and gorgeous fashion. And unlike Zite and some other reading apps, you can directly input specific feeds that aren't well established—like... this one!

The user interface is just downright pretty, and the animations, such as the paper seeming to fold outward, are well executed and exemplify how small amounts movement and effects can add subtle style and flair.

You can also add articles to a reading list that pops out in a beautiful-looking wood drawer. There are many different customizable views and sizes, and you can even adjust fonts and other accessibility options.

Previously, the only Mac news reader with this functionality was an app called "Headlines." And, umm, not to be so rude, but it was butt-ugly.

So thank you, Pulp, for allowing me to seriously reconsider selling my iPad 2.

Check out Pulp on the Mac App Store. It's ten bucks, but well worth it.