10-13-2009, 11:58 AM | #1 |
Connoisseur
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Target offers digital newsstand with publishing-powerhouse Zinio
TARGET OFFERS DIGITAL NEWSSTAND WITH PUBLISHING-POWERHOUSE ZINIO
Expanded Digital-Reading Category Enables Instant Access to Publications MINNEAPOLIS and SAN FRANCISCO (October 13, 2009) – Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) and Zinio LLC, the world’s leader in digital-content design and distribution, today announced a partnership to extend access of their global portfolio of publications, including the most popular consumer titles, to Target guests worldwide. Complementing the e-reading devices available for purchase on Target.com, the private-label newsstand site (target.zinio.com) features a vast selection of digital versions of the most popular U.S. and international single-issue, subscription and archived issues at discounted prices. “We are excited to partner with Zinio to offer our guests the unique ability to access digital publications,” said Steve Eastman, President, Target.com. Target.com guests will be directed to a co-branded digital newsstand that showcases various publications. Target will market and promote its digital newsstand online and in stores nationwide. Popular titles include Elle, Parenting Early Years, Parenting School Years, Popular Science and Woman’s Day. “Interest in buying and reading publications digitally is exploding. As the world’s leader in digital-publication content and commerce, we are thrilled to extend our portfolio to Target guests,” said Rich Maggiotto, President & CEO, Zinio. "Target.com’s reputation for being a ‘one-stop shop’ for entertainment needs now includes the most popular digital publications. We look forward to working with Target to grow this partnership.” http://www.zinio.com/corporate/press...easeid=pr23000 |
10-13-2009, 12:10 PM | #2 |
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Yeah, but isn't Zinio not supported on any dedicated reader?
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10-13-2009, 12:17 PM | #3 |
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If what I just saw of a sample is anything what it really is, you'll need your web browser and an internet connection to read the magazines. I don't think this will catch on.
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10-13-2009, 12:22 PM | #4 |
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I know you can use Zinio offline, they have an app to do so.
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10-13-2009, 12:33 PM | #5 |
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Zinio is designed to be used by a computer, not a dedicated reader. I tried it for awhile, but found myself disappointed with the lack of portability of the files (unless you had them on a laptop, of course), and the fact that the software essentially created page images of varying resolution, which (like a big PDF) had to be magnified and scrolled up and down and left and right to read most content.
Then, without warning Zinio sold one of my (few) subscriptions to another company, Texterity, whose (also computer-based) software and display options are IMO inferior to Zinio's. I canceled my subscription soon thereafter. Personally, I'd rather see magazine content better adapted to flowable e-book reading, instead of using specialized software to generate partially-interactive pictures of pages. |
10-13-2009, 01:37 PM | #6 | |
Cocoa & Toast...mmmmmm...
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From the Zinio website FAQ's:
Quote:
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10-13-2009, 04:27 PM | #7 |
Grand Sorcerer
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That notice is actually pretty old. I'm not sure Zinio will ever be adapted to any other devices.
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10-13-2009, 05:11 PM | #8 | |
Cocoa & Toast...mmmmmm...
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Quote:
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10-13-2009, 05:21 PM | #9 |
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Who wants to read womans day on a non-color device? Might be 'ok' to read on a laptop but you lose the portability/quality that a paper magazine offers. Books might be on the way out with current reader technology, but glossy magazines will be around for a while yet.
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10-13-2009, 07:10 PM | #10 |
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10-13-2009, 08:28 PM | #11 | |
Apeist
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Quote:
Zinio is terrible, but mainly because you never own any of the issues of the publications that you subscribe to, and the DRM is just evil. If more publishers offered PDFs, I'd be a happy subscriber. |
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10-13-2009, 08:31 PM | #12 |
Cocoa & Toast...mmmmmm...
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OK! But the point I was trying to make is that the items they have don't seem to be ereader friendly at this moment...how will this partnership work with the products that Target sells if they aren't accessible by those devices?
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10-14-2009, 11:14 AM | #13 |
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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. A radio program isn't "designed" the same as a television show, either. It's different. Vive la difference!
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10-14-2009, 11:23 AM | #14 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
It also satisfies most magazine publishers, since, as Sonist suggested, they are very particular about their design and layout efforts, and don't want to see those lost to e-book formats. Zinio (and Texterity, the other online magazine people) preserves their formatting... and it has a DRM system, which makes them happy. So: Publishers happy; Zinio happy; Target happy; computer readers happy. All other e-book readers: They don't care. |
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10-14-2009, 11:29 AM | #15 |
The Dank Side of the Moon
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I think this brings to the fore again the two main issues with ebooks/epublication. High contrast and resolution COLOR screens and standard open formats.
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