The Huffington Post has unveiled a new version of its iPad application that plays up visuals and social media to create a customized reading experience.

As consumers continue to rely on multiple platforms for news consumption, the app is designed to help readers sync up their reading. Additionally, the app revamp is meant to plug readers into the conversations around Huffington Post content.

?We had not revisited the fundamentals of the app in some time, and this was an amazing opportunity to build on what made our original app successful, but I think now we are marrying it to a visually-arresting design that brings a tremendous amount of value to the experience,? said Janet Balis, publisher of the Huffington Post, New York.

?This is a beautiful form factor for the Huffington Post experience, but it is still evolved around our core values with a unique blend of content and conversation,? she said.

Mobile news
The revamped Huffington Post iPad app plays up a new design that is aimed at making navigation more intuitive. 

When users open the app, they can choose to either create an account or log-in to their Huffington Post account. The account lets users sync up their Web and mobile experiences.

Consumers that do not want to create an account can skip the page.

The homepage of the app segments the publisher?s content into categories such as news, entertainment, lifestyle, technology and local.

Users are then prompted to select their favorite pieces of content to customize their reading experience.

Information on comments and social sharing are showcased stronger in stories with the revamp. This is meant to show readers which articles are generating the most buzz.

Buttons across the top of articles let users tab through to Twitter, Facebook, Google + and email to share stories.

Users can now also favorite specific sections of the app and authors and bookmark articles.

Visuals and multimedia also play a strong role in the app?s revamp. For instance, new slideshow and video sections let users view photos, videos and tweets.

The app features content for nine local editions of the Huffington Post. Additionally, content is localized in Italian, French and Spanish.

The Huffington Post iPad app is available for free download from Apple?s App Store.

Advertise on mobile
The new Huffington Post app has advertising options for both display and rich media units.

To tap into the intuitive scrolling of the tablet, the app also uses in-view advertisements that fit ads into the page as consumers move down pages of content.

With consumers reading news on multiple devices nowadays, mobile plays a big role in how Huffington Post positions content.

For example, Huffington Post launched on Flipboard last year with expectations to have half a million users. The media brand now has 1.2 million Flipboard users.

Besides the iPad app, the Huffington Post has apps available for iPhones and Android smartphones and tablets. The brand also has a mobile site.

?Mobile is always a part of the integrated brand experience that consumers have across all platforms,? Ms. Balis said.

?Mobile to us is another place for an opportunity to connect with consumers and be a part of the conversation,? she said.

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