London’s Daily Mail Launches Downloadable Version

London’s Daily Mail launched its first “e-paper edition” Monday, which the company is pitching as a halfway point between website and newsprint, the Guardian reported. The Mail eReader, a fully downloadable version of the UK tabloid with the same graphics and design as the print edition, allows readers the flexibility to either click through content as they would on the web, or flip through page by page as they would with the actual paper. While the publisher, Associated Northcliffe Digital, hasn’t decided yet, the Mail eReader certainly opens up the possibility of delivering the paper to mobile phones and other portable devices in the future. Though the download is free, Alan Revell, chief operating officer of Associated Northcliffe Digital, dismissed questions about the eReader possibly cannibalizing the print edition, saying research showed that consumers would view it as a complement to both the regular web and paper versions.
The project, which involved a collaboration with Microsoft and the business solutions firm Conchango, was inspired by the New York Times Reader, said Revell. The NYT Reader is still in beta test and is expected to be fully released within the next few months. The Guardian also noted the timing of the eReader’s debut allowed it to appear particularly proactive, as the Mail’s Fleet Street rivals were described as impressed by the announcement last week from Fujitsu, which revealed its forthcoming e-paper product to the Publishing Expo in London.
Related:
NYT: No Decision Yet On Charging For Times Reader?
NYT Reader From Microsoft Starts Beta; Official Launch Slated For 2007

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