Microsoft Corp and three newspaper/magazine companies have unveiled a software service that allows readers to download stories and read them even when not connected to the Internet. The News Reader, which is now available to readers of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, enables readers to automatically transfer a sampling of stories from the newspaper's website onto their computers by clicking on a desktop icon.
Forbes.com and the London-based newspaper the Daily Mail also announced adaptations of the software Thursday, first introduced by Microsoft and the New York Times last year.
Using technology developed by Microsoft, the applications enable an enhanced on-screen reading experience by combining the “look and feel” of traditional print media with the advantages of interactivity previously reserved for the Web. These new applications support a range of features, such as allowing users to navigate story lists, toggle between articles, move from one section to another, and view picture galleries. In addition, the reader can view the downloaded content while offline, then go back online for continuous updates as stories change.
The three preview reader applications, along with a fourth solution released last year by the New York Times, are at the forefront of a new wave of products, a Microsoft statement said. All of the applications take advantage of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the advanced graphics technology recently unveiled by Microsoft as part of the Windows Vista operating system. In order to further assist publishers in their efforts to bring their content to the digital world, Microsoft is also developing a publisher starter kit, which will make the same product development tools and best practices easily accessible to other publishers at no cost, the company said.
George Irish, president of Hearst Newspapers, which owns the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, said, "We are constantly looking for new ways to reach our readers. It is clear that digital delivery and consumption are critical to the future success of the newspaper industry." With the Seattle paper's News Reader service, readers who remain online can get updated content every hour.
Only select stories will be made available through the service, which is free. To get access to all the newspaper's stories, readers must go to the publication's website, subscribe to the paper electronic edition or buy a copy of the newspaper.
Alan Revell, Chief Operating Officer of Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail, said: “Associated Newspapers are market leaders when it comes to developing new products and services that appeal directly to our existing and potential new readers. The Mail eReader will offer readers a new editorial experience and it is this cutting edge approach to innovation which sets us apart from our competitors.”
The Daily Mail eReader has the distinctive ‘look and feel’ of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday in terms of typography and elements of design. It offers a range of features which allow users to navigate quickly through story lists, toggle between articles, switch between sections, view picture galleries, and search for and access stories up to seven days old.
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster, describing the Hearst-Microsoft project a promising experiment. "Everyone is obsessed about how newspapers are going to stay in business as they go paperless," he said. "The idea of a downloadable electronic paper is not a new idea, but it is a good idea and it's good that we're starting to see experiments like this. ... Having something that is explicitly downloadable allows you to read undisturbed even if you are not online." The Chronicle is also owned by Hearst.
