If rappe (the repetitive and prolonged use of an app) were a criminal case, I would be guilty for five counts of it, and maybe even more. And one app that would not think twice of lodging a case against me would be Instapaper (which is described as “a simple tool to save web pages for reading later.”) I’ve been an Instapaper user since my college years, and until now, I still regularly use it. It’s actually the last app that I use before I go to sleep.

Well, you don’t need to have a handheld device to use Instapaper’s services, you just install a bookmarklet which you hit when you find an interesting article that you want to read at a later time (I should note that it’s Google-Reader-friendly). When you want to read that article, you simply go to your Instapaper account where you’ll find the link to that article. But there are articles that are impractical to be read on your computer, and let’s face it, reading could be time-consuming. I’d rather read during idle times (e.g., waiting in queue at the doctor’s office, travelling, etc.) than during the times when I have something else to do. Although I’m not saying that I’m not guilty that I read even when I have something more pressing things that I should do.

Coupling Instapaper with a compatible device (it works for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, Kindle, and other ebook readers) makes reading articles from the internet easier. And you could be a little more productive when you normally don’t. Basically, the app saves a copy of almost any webpage (even those websites with stupid paywalls) on your device letting you to access them at a later time even if you don’t have any internet connection. It also strips down the webpage to its barest form: just the article itself, no navigation bars, no sidebars, no footers, no “Most Popular” list and other lists that could be a big distraction to you. This is the text-optimized view, although it doesn’t work all the time; I think this feature depends on how the page in question was coded.

One nifty feature that I like is its built-in dictionary. Encountered a big word that you haven’t got the foggiest, like “lackadaisical,” perhaps? No problem, the Instapaper app lets you learn and expand your vocabulary without leaving the app. Just tap and hold the word that made you think you have a vocabulary of a five-year-old and tap define.

You could also make folders to organize articles — in my case, I segregate articles by topic: football, tennis, Youngblood articles, recipes, etc. But if you’re really obsessive-compulsive, arranging articles on your device is a big headache. It’s a multi-stepped process that would leave your thumbs worn-out (or your pinkies if your thumbs are too big and you’re forced to use them). Likewise, deleting articles is tedious too. I wish it’s as easy as organizing and erasing items in the Mail.app. On the other hand, the Instapaper website lets you do that in one or two clicks.

What makes it more useful is that a lot of apps have a “Send to Instapaper” feature. One of the most notable app that has this functionality is the official Twitter app for iPhone. After putting your Instapaper credentials, it’s as easy as swiping and tapping to send articles to your Instapaper account.

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The app — complete with all of the features that I mention plus more — is available for $4.99. A stripped-down version is also offered at the app store for you to try. You may think that “Hey, that’s going to be a free built-in feature in Mobile Safari once iOS 5 comes out, but it looks like having a dedicated app for a reading list far outweighs Apple’s free solution especially if you are a heavy reader.

PS: If the owner of Instapaper is reading this, please add a search feature on the Instapaper website.