TAKEAWAY: Some apps to review and how Samsung’s Galaxy Tab may be the one tablet to look at after you have completed that iPad app.
Hello, Europe!
Crossed the Atlantic ocean overnight after a whirlwind in Bogotá for the launch of El Tiempo, which I have chronicled here for the past few days. Now I turn my attention to European projects, and reacquaint myself with what is happening here.
But before I start reporting from Europe, I want to let you know about a couple of iPad apps of consequence
The Virginian-Pilot app is here
iPad screenshots of the Virginian-Pilot
First, the Virginian-Pilot app has just come out. Ironically, I was very tempted to list the Virginian-Pilot on my list of Bright Spots on yesterday’s blog post about innovation in US newspapers. But, then, I decided that I did not wish to name specific newspapers for fear of leaving others out, which may be doing great things, but that I am not aware of. It was in the spirit of fairness that I did not include them, although I think their front pages are inventive, elegant and always offer elements of visual surprise.
I still need to become more acquainted with the Virginian-Pilot app, but our intern Reed Reibstein (Yale University ‘11) has sampled it and reports that they have both a standard PDF replica (optimized with tabs for jumping quickly to sections, though) or the “iPad edition.” This version is essentially a PDF specially formatted for the iPad screen. Not entirely successful, with the adapted design a little text-heavy, but it’s a very interesting attempt, writes Reed. Good to see a U.S. newspaper trying something different than the news reader model, in which art direction is limited to selecting photos and video.
Microsoft and Windows 7
Also, Microsoft may be working on its own software layer for Windows 7 tablets: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/06/microsoft-creating-its-own-shell-for-windows-7-tablets-boy-we/. The full version of Windows 7 on a tablet may still be not ideal, but it’s now sounding more likely that these tablets could be real competitors.
WoodWing and Samsung
Speaking of competitors, the one tablet in the horizon that those in the know think can give the Apple iPad some competition is Samsung’s Galaxy, and if preparation is an indication of what may happening, I am intrigued by WoodWing’s announcement, at the IFRA 2010 expo and conference in Hamburg, that it is displaying the first results of its cooperation with Samsung to bring digital publications onto the Android-based Samsung´s GALAXY Tab.
I was curious to hear, while at El Tiempo of Colombia, last week that its iPad app, which will premiere within a few weeks, will also have a suitable tablet edition for the GALAXY Tab, since El Tiempo execs believe the Samsung tablet will be quite popular in South America.
Tablet readers read more?
Here is an item that will make magazine editors happy and their publishers even happier.
New