Newspapers to sell Android tablets to subscribers

RichL · 07-11-2011, 01:32 PM

The pilot project, scheduled to be launched in late August, will distribute about 2,000 tablets to customers who buy subscriptions to The Philadelphia Inquirer or Philadelphia Daily News, according to Mark Block, spokesman for Philadelphia Media Network.

The computers will come with four news apps, including two that offer replicas of the papers' print editions. Customers will also get an Inquirer app with additional content and an app for philly.com, the website shared by both newspapers, Block said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18455227?source=rss

Xanthe · 07-11-2011, 01:34 PM

That's interesting.

RichL · 07-11-2011, 01:40 PM

I'm curious to see how it works out. A lot of people making money of their news, it seems there must be some way for them to make a profit as well.

Maybe they want to get tablets out there and then have exclusives for their tablets?

artifact · 07-12-2011, 05:30 PM

The Consumerist (a subsidiary of Consumer Reports) has picked this up.

Their version says the tablets will be 50% off with a subscription vs. the Mercury News reporting the device would be free.

Quote:

Osberg did not reveal the brand of tablets, or any details on pricing packages, which he said are still being determined. He confirmed that the project will launch as a small beta test with a few thousand customers, and that the full launch would likely come in time for Black Friday in November.

kennyc · 07-12-2011, 06:50 PM

Excellent, I'm hoping we get lots of Newspapers and Magazine selections!

RainingLemur · 07-12-2011, 08:21 PM

That's a rather nifty idea. If it works, I wonder if it'd be something adopted by other big newspaper outlets.

AnemicOak · 07-12-2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichL

The computers will come with four news apps, including two that offer replicas of the papers' print editions.

I'm guessing one of those will be PressReader (either the full app or something customized for the paper offering the deal). They offer replica print editions of more than 1,800 newspapers from 94 countries and the app works quite well. It came pre-installed on my Transformer and I bought a paper to try for a review I did. I thought it worked quite well (screen caps attached), it even does TTS.

kennyc · 07-12-2011, 08:43 PM

Thanks for that Brian.

joenunya · 07-13-2011, 03:49 AM

have to wonder if the PC came out today would corporations scoop them up and turn them into nothing more than cable boxes much as these companies are doing with tablet devices?

These are nice for people who want simple and have plenty of funds they can squander without thought, but they also seem like a huge waste of computing power when locked into content by what amounts to a single provider. What are the monthly costs of all this content? I'm betting it can easily reach $200-$300/mo. And that is not even considering the whole software as a subscription this paradigm shift seems to be resurrecting. Video games as well but those have been basically subscription based for a while now anyway.

RichL · 07-13-2011, 06:02 AM

AnemicOak
Thanks for the info.

Jonumya

For some people it is not squandering, I personally saved for nearly half a year to buy my axim and for me it has been worth every day and penny spent on it. Computers, even the small netbooks, for many are not comfortable to read on nor is the battery life particularly good hence the ebook reader. Likewise for people that enjoy reading newspapers ebook readers are a bit small and computers a bit unwieldy (especially at a cafe counter :-) and something the size of a tablet would fit the bill admirably. I personally enjoy a separate devices for computing and for reading so would consider picking up the news reader if I can also load my books into it. Pricing is another ball of wax though and all the costs involved would have to be taken into consideration before I laid down any money for a newsreader device.

07-11-2011, 01:32 PM	#1
RichL Evangelist Posts: 407 Karma: 1096520 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: back to x51v	Newspapers to sell Android tablets to subscribers The pilot project, scheduled to be launched in late August, will distribute about 2,000 tablets to customers who buy subscriptions to The Philadelphia Inquirer or Philadelphia Daily News, according to Mark Block, spokesman for Philadelphia Media Network. The computers will come with four news apps, including two that offer replicas of the papers' print editions. Customers will also get an Inquirer app with additional content and an app for philly.com, the website shared by both newspapers, Block said. http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18455227?source=rss

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07-11-2011, 01:34 PM	#2
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	That's interesting.

07-11-2011, 01:40 PM	#3
RichL Evangelist Posts: 407 Karma: 1096520 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: back to x51v	I'm curious to see how it works out. A lot of people making money of their news, it seems there must be some way for them to make a profit as well. Maybe they want to get tablets out there and then have exclusives for their tablets?

07-12-2011, 06:50 PM	#5
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Excellent, I'm hoping we get lots of Newspapers and Magazine selections!

07-12-2011, 08:21 PM	#6
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	That's a rather nifty idea. If it works, I wonder if it'd be something adopted by other big newspaper outlets.

07-12-2011, 08:43 PM	#8
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Thanks for that Brian.

07-13-2011, 03:49 AM	#9
joenunya Banned Posts: 120 Karma: 234858 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: kindle4pc	have to wonder if the PC came out today would corporations scoop them up and turn them into nothing more than cable boxes much as these companies are doing with tablet devices? These are nice for people who want simple and have plenty of funds they can squander without thought, but they also seem like a huge waste of computing power when locked into content by what amounts to a single provider. What are the monthly costs of all this content? I'm betting it can easily reach $200-$300/mo. And that is not even considering the whole software as a subscription this paradigm shift seems to be resurrecting. Video games as well but those have been basically subscription based for a while now anyway.

07-13-2011, 06:02 AM	#10
RichL Evangelist Posts: 407 Karma: 1096520 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: back to x51v	AnemicOak Thanks for the info. Jonumya For some people it is not squandering, I personally saved for nearly half a year to buy my axim and for me it has been worth every day and penny spent on it. Computers, even the small netbooks, for many are not comfortable to read on nor is the battery life particularly good hence the ebook reader. Likewise for people that enjoy reading newspapers ebook readers are a bit small and computers a bit unwieldy (especially at a cafe counter :-) and something the size of a tablet would fit the bill admirably. I personally enjoy a separate devices for computing and for reading so would consider picking up the news reader if I can also load my books into it. Pricing is another ball of wax though and all the costs involved would have to be taken into consideration before I laid down any money for a newsreader device.

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