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

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

?Tablets are a hot item for the holidays but the biggest request we had was for an Android tablet app,? said Marci McCue, vice president of marketing at Flipboard, Palo Alto, CA.

?We care about making sure that we give a great experience and rethink how to develop content for different devices,? she said. 

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

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

Fragmentation continues to be an issue for Android devices, making it difficult for marketers and publishers to figure out which size screen to design for.

Flipboard is aiming to overcome those issues with page layouts that have been designed for some of the more common Android tablets, such as Google?s seven-inch and ten-inch Nexus devices.

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

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

Over the past year, Android tablets have made a splash in the mobile space.

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

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

Mobile past
Flipboard originally launched in 2010 as a way to package digital content into a personalized iPad app that mirrored the experience of reading a magazine.

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

Additionally, the company has grown to include more than news articles.

Last year, Bud Light and Paramount became the first sponsors with Flipboard?s foray into television and movie content (see story).

Moreover, earlier this year Flipboard branched out to include book content that pointed users to Apple?s iBookstore to buy content, which Flipboard got a percentage of.

An advertising model similar to Flipboard?s other apps will be rolled out on for the Android tablet app in the first quarter of 2013, per Ms. McCue.

Publishers who want to advertise inside Flipboard are responsible for selling their own ad units, which Flipboard then receives a portion of.

?We tend to focus on the user experiences first and then roll out the advertising models,? Ms. McCue said.

?The next big thing will be centered on the evolution on 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