December 03, 2009, 9:31 AM — The Crunchpad may be dead, and Apple's iTablet may still be vaporware, but that isn't stopping magazine publishers from getting ready for some kind of tablet revolution. A few weeks ago Condé Nast showed off an interactive version of Wired meant for the iTablet (yes, they're developing a version of Wired for a product that doesn't officially exist). Wired is only the first Condé Nast magazine to get this treatment; the intention is to eventually have iTablet-friendly editions of all 18 of titles. (Gizmodo has more on this project).
Yesterday Time Inc. introduced a similar project. They're using Sports Illustrated as a launch platform and they're not targeting specific hardware; their intent is for the interactive magazine to run on any device with a touch screen, from the new breed of touch-screen desktops right down to an iPhone. The interface is all touch-based with no static menus. You turn pages by swiping, and press-holding on an item launches a pop-up circular menu. TechCrunch got some hands-on time with the product; I'll embed the video below.
Yesterday also saw the launch of The New York Times' Times Skimmer. This is another new application intended to better replicate the print-browsing experience only this one doesn't require a touch screen. You can read the press release or you can just go play with the application, since it is live now. The point of the Skimmer is to help you identify articles you want to read, and it does a nice job of that on a large screen. On a handheld it feels rather cramped (though it does work).
It remains to be seen whether or not any of these new technologies can save struggling publications. Dumping a print magazine's articles into web pages only goes so far; all those flash ads that annoy you so much don't offer nearly the returns of a nice full page print ad. Time Inc. in particular thinks it can sell this new digital edition of Sports Illustrated. (Would you pay for an online magazine?) Still, it's nice to see publications moving away from the standard web page to try to offer a more visually appealing interface. Times Skimmer has hooked me, and I'm looking forward to 'flipping through the pages' of a digital Wired or SI.
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