Guest Paul (MVP) Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 This news post is to let you know that NewspaperDirect's PressReader for Windows Mobile has been updated. Thing is, chances are you (like me up until now!) don't know who NewspaperDirect are or what PressReader is... so let me give you a quick intro ;) NewspaperDirect is an online repository of newspapers. They boast 500 newspapers from 71 countries in 37 languages, impressive indeed. A quick search revealed a whole bunch of UK titles including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Sun, News Of The World... you can browse the full list on the NewspaperDirect site, but it's pretty likely your publication of choice is featured. So it's an online repository of newspapers... then what? Well, having this incredible resource is one thing, but it's worthless if the tools to make the most of it aren't there... and i'm pleased to say they are, and that's where PressDisplay / PressReader come in. PressDisplay is a rich online viewer for the NewspaperDirect content. With features including local saving, printing, RSS, zoom, pan etc. it provides an excellent alternative to a traditional newspaper, particularly if you are using a Tablet PC or compact laptop. Next comes PressReader. PressReader is a dedicated client for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Windows Mobile Smartphone. PressReader (more details on the PressReader page) "...enables you to download your favorite publication on your PC, laptop, Tablet PC or mobile device allowing you to read anytime you are without an Internet connection. PressReader works just like PressDisplay, so you can effortlessly access your favorite newspaper or magazine, just as you would online. Create your own personal library and read on the way to work, on the subway, on an airplane – anywhere, anytime". There's even a web based version of PressReader mobile... hit http://www.PressDisplay.com from your mobile device. So how well does it work? Brilliantly is the answer! The catalogue is very well populated including back issues, online and offline viewers are supremely slick and the desktop and Windows Mobile clients work well. If you are a commuter looking for an alternative to the traditional newspaper or a reader of a difficult-to-obtain newspaper, then PressReader could be for you. In fact, there's only one potential spanner in the works, and that's cost. There is a 'free' subscription that provides you with access to any 2 articles from any issue within the last 7 days, but beyond that you're going to have to stump up some cash (albeit not as much as you might think). Subscriptions are available in 'Economy', 'Personal Unlimited, 'Corporate Unlimited' and 'Professional Unlimited' forms, which give you the benefits as follows...Economy: $9.95 per month, 31 issues included, additional issues $0.75, back issues available for 7 days, 30 day offline storage, 10 monitoring alerts, 200 bookmarks and 10 'public shares' per day. This package is most comparable to buying a daily newspaper.Personal Unlimited: $29.95 per month, unlimited issues included, back issues available for 14 days, 60 day offline storage, 30 monitoring alerts, 1000 bookmarks and 30 'public shares' per day. This package is most appropriate if buying a number of newspapers each day, or reading additional back issues.Corporate Unlimited: $99.95 per month, unlimited issues included, back issues available for 60 days, 90 day offline storage, 100 monitoring alerts, 2000 bookmarks and 100 'public shares' per day.Professional Unlimited: $199.95 per month, unlimited issues included, back issues available for 90 days, 90 day offline storage, 300 monitoring alerts, 5000 bookmarks and 300 'public shares' per day.Doing the maths, the Economy plan works out at $0.32 per issue (about 17p), and the $29.95 plan works out at around $0.96 per day (around 50p)... so they are very reasonable priced in comparison to buying traditional newspapers. I probably don't read newspapers enough myself (particuarly as a non commuter) to make the cost worthwhile, but there's no doubt that this is an innovative product that should find a large amount of customers particularly in view of their support of multiple platforms for their PressReader software. Feel free to share your thoughts below! P [Edit: The EXCELLENT PressDisplay.com mobile site seems to let you view all stories from all newspapers, with audio feeds, free?] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Woo, the mobile site is excellent, and seems to be fully free for all content (can that be right?) P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monolithix (MVP) Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Don't think so, you cant load papers in a normal web browser without registering (and paying...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) Don't think so, you cant load papers in a normal web browser without registering (and paying...) I can! Just tried the Times and Mail and both seem to work Times is http://timesonline.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx This is great! Or it was until I'd clicked arround a bit - now it's asking for a username and pword - looks like there is a limited trial... Edited March 14, 2007 by Confucious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcwarre Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Looks like a good app but most of these papers have pda sites which are free; elsewise use Google Mobile to reduce the size of their normal websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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