Target offers digital newsstand with publishing-powerhouse Zinio

[PennyPie]

All other e-book readers: They don't care.

Okey Dokey...I'D like to get mags for my reader, but guess I'm in the minority. Didn't realize Target has computers....

[drzeller]

Zinio has been available on the Apple Touch and iPhone for a while now. Perhaps this is a move to expand awareness prior to the launch of the Apple tablet and color ereaders next year?

By the way, I have been a Zinio subscriber for several years. The software is quite usable on a TabletPC. I just rotate the screen and I am reading a full page at a time, in portrait orientation.

I would like to have portability of my files between devices (you can't copy from your laptop to your PC or another laptop, for example). I would also like to see some minor improvements to the software. It has stagnated for several years now. Simple things, like managing and archive of your read publications and improvements in the "library" UI would be great.

D.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by PennyPie

Okey Dokey...I'D like to get mags for my reader, but guess I'm in the minority. Didn't realize Target has computers....

Some are available via calibre recipes...

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by PennyPie

Okey Dokey...I'D like to get mags for my reader, but guess I'm in the minority. Didn't realize Target has computers....

They sell netbooks.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by PennyPie

Okey Dokey...I'D like to get mags for my reader, but guess I'm in the minority. Didn't realize Target has computers....

Sorry: What I meant was that Target and Zinio don't care about other reading devices.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Sure I do. But just as we cover around here on a regular basis, the point is the content. Sure, a magazine design won't be the same as an e-book design. ...[/I]

Uhm, I have to respectfully disagree. You are missing the point of color and large screens. And of course, design.

I am looking at the latest DWELL which just landed on my desk. The design and content are one. If it reflowed, it would be different, and most of its subscribers would not care for it.

As far as Zinio, I've dropped it, because it's way too restrictive. Otherwise, it would be fine on a large color screen reader. Just like a PDF would be.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Uhm, I have to respectfully disagree. You are missing the point of color and large screens. And of course, design.

I am looking at the latest DWELL which just landed on my desk. The design and content are one. If it reflowed, it would be different, and most of its subscribers would not care for it.

That's funny, because DWELL seems to have a pretty extensive online site, with content and art, which is pretty effective at communicating to the reader.

I'm not saying DWELL isn't a beautiful magazine. Just that there is more than one way to present content, and an e-book format shouldn't be expected to mimic a magazine format. (In fact, it should be closer to a minimalist web site format.)

Zinio essentially takes pictures of magazine pages. That's fine, if you must have the art and text exactly as it is presented in the magazine. But with few exceptions, it is really not necessary to the task of communicating to your audience, which is the task of most magazines. In short, only an "art magazine" really needs the Zinio treatment... and I daresay some of them could probably do without, as well.

You know what else is funny? I actually didn't set out to "attack" Zinio in this thread, just to indicate that their service didn't work that well for my needs... and incidentally, that their unilaterally handing my subscription over to another company (which produced an inferior online reading experience) was even less acceptable to me.

My laptop is a bit heavy and bulky to use as en e-book reader, and the screen isn't well-optimized for reading the content... but if I had a lighter and larger tablet PC, Zinio might make a better choice for me. For now, portability is key, and presenting magazine content in e-book formats like ePub, LIT or PRC would be more practical for me.