I recently discovered a marvellous app for the iPad (it also works on other tablets and PCs, according to the developers), which I want to tell you all about. Having said that though, since I’m a bit behind the times with apps, you may already know about it! Called Zinio, the app is a free download for magazine reading.
I was vey excited about the possibility of reading magazines on the iPad, but my brief searches on the App Store hadn’t yielded much success. I kept wondering why people were talking about it, but no-one seemed to be doing anything about it. As it turns out, they were and I just wasn’t aware of it. My understanding was that each magazine title could launch its own app. However, unbeknownst to me a lot of well-known titles had made themselves available through Zinio, which makes managing your magazines much easier.
Zinio works a lot like the reading apps that you may already be familiar with. There’s a button for Features, which shows new arrivals to the Zinio world and popular titles, etc. Then there’s a library button, which shows you what you own. Finally there’s a shop section where you can buy a subscription or a one-off issue (with PayPal or credit/debit card). If you buy a subscription, you get notified by email when the next issue is available.
Once you actually have a magazine, reading it is very simple. It’s very similar to reading a book on the iPad. Held in landscape, you can see the two page spread, whilst in portrait you can look at one page at a time. There’s a button at the bottom of the screen so you can just read the text, or you can zoom in on the page and read the text alongside the images. You turn pages as with a standard book on the iPad and if you tap the screen it shows a navigation panel along the bottom so that you can flip to a section you’re interested in.
Overall, I’m really impressed. It’s what I kept hoping someone would invent! I’m also surprised at just how many major titles are available. It looks like many of the British and American large publishing houses have bought in, and all your regular newsagent finds are there. Why are they not making a bigger deal out of this?! I discovered the app by accident whilst flipping through a magazine I rarely buy!
If you have an iPad (or other tablet…), I recommend downloading the app. It’s free, and you get three free issues of one of the selected titles (I chose the U.S Elle) so you can test it and see if you like it. I haven’t abandoned paper magazines (I have a couple on subscription), but I see this app replacing the ad hoc magazine purchases I make when I’m looking for inspiration.
Did any of you already know about this app? (And if so, why didn’t you tell me about it!!)
Update: since writing this, Zinio have issued version 2 of their app. It now has a sleeker layout, and magazine purchases are made using your iTunes account payment system – two clicks and you’re done!
Related posts:
2 comments
I use the Zinio App for magazines. I subscribe to SHAPE which is an American publication and has expensive mailing charges. I can now get the digital version via Zinio and pay the digital rates. Works fab for me (and you soon forget you are reading from a screen).
I like the fact you can get foreign magazines without the import charges
I’m hoping their range will diversify as tablets become more prevalent, and then maybe we’ll be able to shop by country and look up really random magazines!
Trackbacks