Image used with permission by copyright holderFlipboard has finally landed for Windows 8.1, allowing owners of devices such as Microsoft’s Surface slates to finally discover what it is about the news reader app that makes it such a hit with tablet users on other platforms.

　　Developers have built the app from the ground up to match the Windows 8.1 look and feel, and take advantage of some the platform’s specific features, so users can, for example, add Flipboard as a Live Tile to their tablet’s start screen.

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　　Taking this a step further, the team has also made it possible to pin your favorite Flipboard magazines and sections to the start screen, enabling even speedier access to your favorite content.

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　　As you’d expect, a range of gestures offer plenty of functionality – for example, you can subscribe, refresh, and edit by swiping up, or access modules such as ‘contributors’ and ‘people also read’ by swiping down within a section.

　　Microsoft’s newest operating system also offers a split-screen experience it calls Snap View, allowing you to read a Flipboard article with one eye while the other watches a movie. Or something like that.

　　Check out the video below for a brief overview of Flipboard for Windows 8.1.

　　Judging by the popularity of Flipboard on other platforms such as iOS and Android, the Windows 8.1 version will be welcomed with open arms by those using, for example, Microsoft’s flagship Surface Pro 2 tablet.

　　Since launching in 2010, the free app, lauded for its elegant user experience and ease of use, has been downloaded to around 90 million mobile devices.

　　A feature rolled out earlier this year that allows users to create their own digital magazines for sharing, or private use, proved a particular hit with the Flipboard community, with 100,000 magazines created within its first 24 hours of going live.

　　Another new feature, rolled out just this week, enables users to utilize the magazine tool for the creation of e-commerce catalogs for wish lists or as a way of creating a shopping list of gifts. Retail partners are also beginning to build shopping catalogs for Flipboard, further evidence of the startup’s growing interest in the mobile commerce space.

　　Flipboard for Windows 8.1