Jacob Burch and Lon Harris hosted This Week in iPad episode 11 on Thursday June 17th. The Guest was Scott Raymond, CTO and Co-Founder of Gowalla. Matthew Paulson of iPad Weekly, the new This Week in iPad blogger, also joined the show.

The First Interview – Scott Raymond (3:00)

Scott Raymond shared that it took Gowalla three weeks to develop their iPad application. Harris noted that the Gowalla iPad client downplayed the use of items. Raymond said that the company wanted to emphasize other aspects of the service, such as the map, and that the company had to leave out a few features in the initial iPad launch.

Harris asked where Gowalla would be going on the iPad. Raymond said that he believed the iPad had a great user interface for  the service, especially with images. Raymond said that he hoped to improve the image, search and map sections of the app.

When discussing trips, Raymond said that there was something to incentivizing people, but doesn’t have any specific plans to do so immediately. Raymond suggested that users could receive pins for creating a certain number of trips. Harris said that trips “thread the needle of geo-location” and that matching the app to real-world events and locations is the next big thing that location based applications need to achieve.

Harris asked about Gowalla’s eagerness to get a client available to the iPad. Raymond said that the company was excited about the device and were eager to take advantage of the new input methods available on the device. Raymond said that they were taking lessons from their iPad UI and implementing some of those aspects on the iPad, such as removing hover effects and adding in tactile ways, such as flicking.

Harris disclosed that Jason Calacanis, host of This Week in Startups and CEO of Mahalo, has invested in Gowalla.

Lon’s Replacement (19:00)

Harris shared that he’s looking for someone to replace him as the host of This Week in iPad. Harris said that he enjoys hosting the show and enjoys working with both his iPad and his co-host. Harris noted that he is seeking a replacement so that he can focus on launching additional shows on the ThisWeekIn Network. Harris noted that his replacement could Skype in and that those interested should email him at Lon@ThisWeekIn.com.

The Second Interview – Matthew Paulson (20:15)

Matthew Paulson, managing editor of iPad Weekly, will serve as the new “official blogger” for This Week in iPad. Harris asked Paulson whether or not writing about the iPad was his full time job and Paulson shared that he also has a full time position as a web developer.

Harris also asked Paulson why he thought the iPad has been such a success. Paulson shared that Apple has done such a good job at marketing that many buyers would purchase anything that Steve Jobs announces during a keynote. Paulson also said that the iPad stands on its own merits and that the device can fill a number of holes because it doesn’t try to provide a single use case for the device.

Paulson shared that he uses the iPad primarily for content consumption and said that he believed that WebMD was the most well designed iPad application he’s seen so far.  Harris asked Paulson what could be improved upon the iPad and Paulson shared that the iPad needs iOS 4.0, better file system support and the ability to use the iPad without connecting it to a computer. Burch and Harris speculated that the reason that the iPad must be connected to an iTunes-enabled computer is an issue of control. Paulson noted Steve Jobs D8 comment that Apple needed to improve the independence of the iPad from a traditional computer.

The News (29:00)

Blackberry Companion Tablet - Harris read a report from the Wall Street Journal suggesting that RIM is developing a companion device to the Blackberry which will not have its own data connection and instead will tether to the phone. Harris noted the poor history of devices in the companion market, such as the Palm Foleo. Paulson said that he believed the device would fail because of the BlackBerry OS’s limited touch support and lack of available applications.

iPad Sales to Decline? – YouGov analyst Katy Mogal predicts that 6.5 million iPad units will be sold during the first year, lower than other analysts estimates of 8 million to 12 million. Mogal believes that the general public has not yet been convinced of the need for an iPad and that sales numbers will decline when the number of available Apple fans to purchase an iPad has been exhausted. Burch said that he believed sales will slow down but the Christmas season will boost sales. Paulson said that Mogal is in the minority of analysts and other analysts predict much higher sales numbers.

Oprah’s iPad Gift - Harris noted that Oprah gave all O Magazine employees an iPad and $10,000 cash to celebrate the magazine’s ten year anniversary. Harris suggested to ThisWeekIn CEO Mark Jeffrey should follow in Oprah’s foot-steps.

iPad Hacker Jailed – Andrew Auernheimer of “Goatse Security” was arrested on drug charges after the FBI entered his home after obtaining a search warrant. Harris suggested that the warrant was a result of the AT&T and iPad email leak case. Harris and Burch speculated that Steve Jobs and Apple may have been the cause of the FBI investigation. Paulson said that he believed that it was likely AT&T if anyone that lead to the FBI investigation.

Ulysses Seen – A company called Throwaway Horse submitted an iPad application called “Ulysses Seen” which was an online comic that contained nudity. Apple rejected the application and asked the company to resubmit it when the offending panels were removed. Apple later reversed their decision and allowed it to appear on the App Store uncensored. Harris and Paulson said that Apple need to have a set policy acceptability and that Apple should not be micromanaging what’s acceptable and what’s not. Burch noted that Apple was treating the iPad much more like the way that Nintendo and Sony deals with game developers than being an open development platform.

Planet of the Apps (46:00)

The hosts reviewed RSS reading applications on this week’s episode.

News Rack  - Paulson reviewed NewsRack which is available for $4.99 on the iPad. Paulson praised the app for its day-to-day usability and its many options for adding feeds to the application. He added that the directory could have been improved and gave the application a rating of “4 out of 5 iPads.”

Pulse News Reader – Burch reviewed Pulse News Reader, which he said was a “different kind of reader.” Burch noted the 20 feed limit for the app and said that the app was the “perfect coffee table type reader.”

Reeder – Harris reviewed Reeder, which has a “pinch to expand” feature for feeds. Harris praised the application for making use of  the iPad’s controls. Harris also noted the sharing features of the application but said that the application was somewhat bland.

Next week, the hosts will be reviewing educational games for the iPad.

Final Thoughts (55:30)

Matthew Paulson will be posting a preview post for upcoming episodes on Monday or Tuesday and then show notes on Thursday night or Friday.

Harris said that viewers should check out the new shows on the ThisWeekIn Network and place new ratings on the show on iTunes.