A common complaint that I have with the apps out today is a giddiness with the size. Case in point, the Reuters app. They want to provide as much information within the frame as possible so they have stacks of rotating panels that can be unpredictable to navigate. There's just too much sliding and flipping overall. I don't think that format would work on a piece of paper, on television or on the computer screen. When looking at the iPad, you can't approach it from a tech point of view.
I think the Cool Hunting developed with BBH is the exact opposite. Cool Hunting is in effect a magazine. They balance the content by dedicating one block to each topic and each block has a headline and a striking visual. All of the main topics of the day can be seen at a glance. Inside each story is a cool stream of pictures above. The copy block has a strong presence and is easy to read. Tags and icons of related content appear to the right, just like the blog, but it feels as natural as on a glossy page.
It's not surprising media companies got it right. Many of them had iPads under lock and key so they got to experience what it could do first hand. Only now are other developers getting on board. I imagine things will improve.
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