The Daily

[elgarak]

So, I got myself an iPad recently, and checking out all the various apps that are out there. I wasn't sure where to put this. I finally decided on the computers forum, as it is mostly about the technology, and not about the politics and content.

One of the most hyped apps, at least to me, is "The Daily", touted to be the first iPad only magazine. Well, I checked it out, even bought a subscription, but I have mixed feelings about this thing.

It seems stuck in the past. Fells like a desperate attempt to carry the old-fashioned, dying, magazine business (which sells paying (!) subscribers to advertisers) over into the new world of the web, without understanding this new world at all, what consumers CAN and WANT do now or understanding why the magazine/newspaper business is dying.

Skimming through "The Daily" feels like slamming into a brick wall repeatedly. It essentially tries to re-create the olden experience of a paper-based magazine, down to fixed fonts (size and appearance), two-column typesetting (three in landscape mode) and full-page ... erm ... -screen ads that are hard to distinguish from actual content. It seems to ignore the capabilities and offerings of the iPad nearly completely (except for adding video and interactive cross-word puzzles and sudokos). There's no search. And it doesn't even remember on which page I was when I put it away -- even old-fashioned paper magazine could do THAT!

Comments?

 

[Babbylonian]

I don't know about The Daily and don't own an iPad, but a friend of mine just bought one recently and showed me "Flipboard," an application that aggregates a myriad of sources (RSS, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) into a very magazine-like format, and it was cool enough that I actually started considering an iPad in my 10" tablet plans (the upcoming Toshiba Tegra 2/Honeycomb device is just barely in the lead thanks to its notebook-replacement features, like a full-size USB port). Being able to get the headline/lead/picture, then clicking in for the full text was pretty neat. Unfortunately, they don't have an Android version on the horizon.

Anyway, if you haven't already, check Flipboard out. I can't imagine a paid single-source app matching up to it in any way.

 

[Wudang]

@Babbylonian - check the Kindle threads in Art, History etc for how people use Calibre to collate BBC news etc feeds to their kindle. The kindle reader on android would be one possible way to go

 

[Babbylonian]

@Babbylonian - check the Kindle threads in Art, History etc for how people use Calibre to collate BBC news etc feeds to their kindle. The kindle reader on android would be one possible way to go

I don't have a proper PC right now (apart from my work computer) and I'm seeing how long I can go without. I installed "Pulse" on my Nook Color last night and that's pretty good stuff even if it's nowhere near Flipboard.

 

[elgarak]

Thanks for the Flipboard tip -- I did not know this yet.

My problem, however, is not getting news. Besides, the actual content on The Daily appears to be exclusive and does not show up anywhere else. And it's pretty decent content, well written, nice photographs etc.

It's really the philosophy behind it. It's a "newspaper" on the iPad, not a news app, but a "paper". As I said, it seems to live in the past and ignores the abilities and environment of the web nearly completely.

There's a horoscope (ugh) and weather page in the middle, for crying out loud. With just the standard, basic weather info that you can get everywhere else. As if there weren't enough weather apps (most of which offer better info than this). Useless, but a newspaper needs a horoscope/weather page, right?

What really grinds my gears is how said philosophy hampers the navigation. You're forced to scroll through it, like skimming the physical pages of paper. No short cuts.

 

[DavidS]

As I said, it seems to live in the past and ignores the abilities and environment of the web nearly completely.

...

What really grinds my gears is how said philosophy hampers the navigation.

You're doing it wrong. Pot, meet kettle. sorry, couldn't resist.