Archive for October, 2009

More news on the PressReader iPhone Application

October 21, 2009

PressReader Application on iPhoneHi everyone.

Well, there certainly is a lot of buzz and excitement happening around our PressReader iPhone application.  Just wanted to fill you in on some last minute changes we were able to push through on your behalf.

First, we have made the application itself FREE on iTunes.  Before you had to pay $0.99 for the PressReader application and then $0.99 per title you download.  Later today (we activated it already on iTunes, but not sure Apple’s turned it on yet for us), you will be able to download the application for free.

Second, we’ve enabled 7 free issues for every new user.  So you can now download your 7 favorite newspapers or magazines without paying a dime.  After 7 issues, you will be charged the normal fee for each downloaded title (price varies by country: US$0.99, C$0.99, €0.79, £0.59, AU$1.19, ¥115).

We’re also looking into some issues around the audio pack feature on the iPod Touch.  As you know you can “listen” to a newspaper using PressReader.  This feature required us to use Apple’s Audio Pack services.  Although we never need a microphone, we believe that this pack enforces the need for a microphone for apps that use the audio services.  We are working now to try and separate the need for a speaker with the need of a microphone so people using the iPod Touch w/o a microphone can still download PressReader.

What a learning experience this has been!  Thanks for your patience and please enjoy the free application and 7 free issues of your favorite titles.

Gayle

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Posted in PressDisplay, PressReader, iPhone | 26 Comments »

The PressReader iPhone Application has finally arrived!

October 21, 2009

Well, the wait is over. Finally the PressReader Application is on iTunes! I know I know…it’s been too long coming and I totally agree.   Believe me, it didn’t come without a lot of pain (for all of us!).

PressReader Application on iTunes

As many of you know, our plan was to offer the application for free to our PressDisplay.com subscribers, but Apple said “No!”  We fought this battle a long time and it delayed our application for months.    In the end, the only way Apple would approve the application was through single copy sales of titles, payble through users’ iTunes accounts.  Pricing varies by country as follows: US$0.99, C$0.99, €0.79, £0.59, AU$1.19, ¥115 for each newspaper or magazine issue you download.

There are a couple of quirks with this application as well you should know about.  Being a “portal type” of application, it doesn’t quite fit within Apple’s standard modus operandi.   Here’s an example…After you’ve downloaded your first title, the next title you try and download will result in a message telling you that you’ve already downloaded that title and then asks you, “Are you sure you want to download it again?”.  Say yes!  This is an iPhone message.  Their phones do not understand that we have over 1,000 titles in this one application.  For them, it’s one app – one download. Sigh…

Please note that we are trying to resolve these quirks for you and will continue to lobby Apple for an exemption on the pricing issues.   This battle is not over yet!

Anyway, the publications look great and I think you’ll really enjoy reading your favorite titles on the iPhone.  They are presented as full-content digital replicas, in their original layout like on PressDisplay.com. You can flip pages, pan and zoom in to view any page, article or photo in stunning clarity.

Key Features:

- Easily navigate publications using thumbnails or tables of contents 

- View full graphics or easy-to-read text views

- Access on-demand audio

- Search online across titles and select the title you wish to download

- Jump to next page using article hyperlinks

- Share articles by email

So, check out the demo:

 

And try the application.  Then let me know what you think.  We’ll be updating the application regularly with new titles and features so your feedback is important. 
Gayle

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Posted in NewspaperDirect, PressDisplay, iPhone | 16 Comments »

Comparing reading times on US newspaper websites with their digital editions on PressDisplay.com

October 5, 2009

About a week ago, Editor and Publisher released August data on the time readers spent on the top 30 newspapers in the US.   As I read the article I thought to myself that the numbers seemed rather low. 

Check out just a few of the top titles in the article:

Average reading time on newspaper websites in August 2009

So I decided to see if these reading times matched up with their digital editions on PressDisplay.com.  As you probably know, PressDisplay.com has some pretty cool technology under the hood for publishers.   One of those tools is called “Reading Map”.

 Reading Map

 Reading Map uses sophisticated tracking techniques to monitor the exact amount of time users spend reading a particular location of a digital newspaper, right down to an area roughly the size of a postage stamp. With this technology, publishers can see the reading patterns throughout their publications, gaining valuable insight into what elements of the publication are read most and least. This information is essential in order to better understand the impact of editorial content, layout and advertising on reading behaviour — and therefore the value provided to the reader or advertiser.  Also, Reading Map provides some valuable aggregated statistics to publishers, allowing them to see the median and average reading times for every one of their issues. 

So, I decided to check out the Reading Maps for a number of the titles in the Neilson Online list and I discovered that the digital editions on PressDisplay.com held the attention of users much longer than their corresponding newspaper websites. In fact, it was often 2 or 3 times longer.  Although I’m  not at liberty to share our publishers’ confidential Reading Map results, I can tell you that generally, if a newspaper had an average reading time of 10 minutes on its website, the corresponding digital edition on PressDisplay.com often had an average reading time between 20 and 30 minutes on PressDisplay.   Sometimes it was even longer.  And don’t forget, those website stats E&P were sharing were the “TOP” newspaper websites in the US.  So what does that tell you? 

So when I hear people suggest that digital editions are not the right format for a online newspaper, I laugh.  The numbers speak for themselves.  Digital editions retain the interest of readers longer than websites.   And I have over 1,000 publications to prove it!

Gayle

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