The Vimeo iPad app features a beautiful full screen interface that allows you to view and browse for videos at the same time and even access your site stats. Screenshots by the author.

It's always been the designer's alternative to YouTube. With a cleaner interface and built-in communities, Vimeo may not have the powerhouse reach of YouTube but it hosts its own film festivals and offers a number of "Pro" features tailored for filmmakers, animators and design nerds. It's always pushed boundaries and trends in online video, with early adoption of HD and Creative Commons Licenses.

Which is why I was excited to learn about Vimeo's new iPad app, a much-needed release that builds off the strengths of its original iPhone app. Hot on the heels of the New Vimeo site redesign, the iPad version opens up in full screen glory, an extension of the already great site. The videos play in full screen and make for relaxing viewing on a couch. And if you hook it up with Apple TV (which I didn't get to test out), you can even watch them on the big screen in your living room.

As designer Joseph Schmitt in the company's blog post announcing the new app, "Mobile traffic to Vimeo has exploded (technically speaking, it's tripled) since we first launched our iPhone app in early 2011, so we've renewed our focus to provide the best possible experience for Vimeo users on the move." The new app is sure to drive even more traffic (and reduce eye strain!).

Each video features the standard "Like" and "Later" buttons, and you can login with your standard Vimeo account so it all syncs up. In this regard, the "Watch Later" feature makes a lot more sense--turning Vimeo into an Instapaper-like site for great video (though you still need to be connected to the web to view them). Below the video, you can get more information from the author, share it out with your friends (including an embed feature for Wordpress), and even determine the CC license for viewing. You can even scroll for other videos while watching the current one.

The editing feature is clean and easy to use, with color-coded layers and a bevy of options, including transitions, audio (with easy access to Vimeo's music store), and text.

The most intriguing element, and a vast improvement from the tiny iPhone interface, is the ability to shoot, edit and upload video. Taking advantage of the iPad's built-in video camera, you can quickly shoot clips and either automatically upload them or create a new project.Editing is simple and straightforward, and it's a unique experience to be so hands-on. It's no Final Cut, but it certainly makes it easy to create a short film quickly and on the fly. The app allows you to bring in multiple clips and even photos and audio. You can control ins and outs and even modify transitions and add basic text. And if you use your own video camera, you can import video using Apple's SD card reader.

My main gripe is that the app requires your location information before you can edit video. I can see geolocation being useful for citizen journalism contexts, so you can easily show the location of your footage and geomap all the data, but it's not clear as to why this is necessary for the app to function at all. Also, I hope that future editions will allow for easy syncing between the iPhone and iPad apps, so you can shoot with the iPhone (much easier to hold in your hand) and quickly transfer that data over to the iPad.

But overall, the Vimeo iPad app is a much welcome addition to my app library. It can be incredibly useful on the go, allowing for makeshift video production and uploading all in one place. That's great news for travelers and video enthusiasts like me who want to travel light but still have the tools to share stories. And it's an even better place to join the community and watch all the site's great videos in one place.