Zinio, LLC Announces Commitment to Microsoft Tablet PC Platform
Zinio to extend digital magazine experience to Tablet PC users
Comdex, Las Vegas, NV. (November 11, 2001) - Zinio, LLC, a leading developer of innovative digital magazine technology and services, today announced its commitment to the Microsoft Tablet PC platform. Zinio, which will launch its digital magazine services in Q1 2002, delivers cover-to-cover digital versions of print magazines. Zinio's digital magazine services will leverage the portability, form factor and display capabilities of the Tablet PC platform to provide readers with an exciting, interactive magazine experience.
"The Tablet PC is an ideal platform for delivering the digital magazine experience," said Kevin McCurdy, founder and CEO of Zinio. "Our technology takes full advantage of the portability, high-resolution display and multimedia capabilities of the Tablet PC, as well as the advanced features of the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. With Zinio and the Tablet PC, readers can access, store, search and read their entire archive of digital magazines with a device that's about the same size and weight of a large single magazine issue. This is the future of magazines."
Market research conducted jointly by Zinio and a leading worldwide magazine publisher indicates that readers of traditional print magazines are interested in receiving and reading digital magazines. In addition, consumers today own or have easy access to the technologies necessary to enjoy digital magazines. Portable and desktop computers are widespread; computers themselves are more powerful, with larger displays capable of high-resolution images; storage capacity is both plentiful and inexpensive; and broadband Internet access is growing rapidly. As new portable platforms - such as Tablet PCs - become available, the market potential for digital magazines will grow exponentially.
"Zinio has created a great application that truly delivers a compelling on-screen magazine reading experience," said Alexandra Loeb, general manager of the Tablet PC at Microsoft Corporation. "With Zinio, the Tablet PC represents an optimal platform for digital magazines as a result of Tablet PC's key features: the full power of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, the mobility, the high-resolution portrait display and the advanced multimedia capabilities. With the Tablet PC, Microsoft, Zinio and leading magazine publishers will fundamentally change the way people experience magazines."
While the Zinio system delivers the graphically rich, two-page layout of magazines to the installed base of laptop and desktop computers as well as the forthcoming Tablet PC, the portrait form factor and digital ink capabilities of the Tablet PC enable readers to reap the benefits of the paper magazine metaphor in many ways. Zinio's highly intuitive digital magazine interface goes beyond the print experience by providing interactive capabilities and features not possible with paper. With the Tablet PC and Zinio, readers can enjoy their favorite magazines anytime, anywhere and take advantage of features such as web hyperlinks and audio and video integration, as well as automated issue retrieval, and tools for searching, annotating, archiving and managing content.
About Zinio Digital Magazine Services
Zinio's complete digital magazine publishing solution is comprised
of three elements:
- Zinio Production Services(sm) elegantly recast the layout and design of print magazines into digital magazines, taking them one step further by embedding interactivity and other features possible only in the digital medium;
- Zinio Reader™ provides a compelling and highly engaging end user experience; and
- Zinio Delivery System(sm) automates the subscription and retrieval process and makes it possible for readers to purchase copies of current or back issues.
In addition, readers will be able to subscribe to a wide variety of publications or request individual current and back issues at www.zinio.com.
