Pinterest Finally Rolls Out iPad and Android Apps

Joining the company's existing (but newly refreshed for speed) iPhone app, Pinterest has released a free iPad and free Android app. That means fans of the site can pin their favorite housewares, fashions, art and other obsessions to their hearts content on whatever device they can't live without.

Essentially a virtual corkboard, Pinterest gives users the ability to share all of their favorite images, organizing them into different boards. Similar to Twitter, users can follow Pinners with similar interests.

Pinterest designed the Android app to work on the full range of Android tablets and smartphones. The idea, regardless of screen size,is that the user is greeted with familiar tiles. The app is available in the Google Play store now and a Kindle Fire version is rumored to arrive later this week. 

On the iPad version, Pinterest added a few unique features, including an embedded browser that allows users to double tap a product to open that brand's website while still inside the Pinterest app. Also, swiping across the screen brings up the category list, while swiping the opposite direction flips through the pins you've opened. 

It's a fair bet that usage of the already skyrocketing social network may hit galactic proportions, now that it can find a home on tons of mobile devices. While Pinterest hasn't confirmed the size of its audience, ComScore is widely sourced for saying the site went for 1 million users in August 2011 to more than 23 million in July 2012. It's speculated that, even without an Android app, users spend approximately 16 minutes per visit creating boards, pinning their favorite things for the world to see. 

Anna Attkisson
Managing Editor
A lover of lists and deadlines, Anna Attkisson heads up features and special projects for Laptopmag.com, in addition to covering social networking and accessories. She joined the LAPTOP staff in 2007, after working at Time Inc. Content Solutions where she created custom publications for companies from American Express to National Parks Foundation.