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Readers of TODAY can now get the latest news updates via a new digital channel that is available both online and offline.
After three months of development with systems integrator partner E-Book Systems, MediaCorp has taken the wraps off the EasyReader, a software platform that combines the best of physical newspapers and Web browsing into one intuitive browser-like interface.
TODAY, Singapore's second most-read English newspaper, is the first in MediaCorp's stable of news and entertainment sites to offer EasyReader. It has a readership of 590,000 and its online site attracted about 40 million page views last year.
"TODAY's readership has been growing since our inception seven years ago. We've bucked the declining trend of newspaper reading in Singapore and worldwide as we are constantly thinking of new ways of reaching our readers," said Mr Philip Koh, managing director of MediaCorp Press.
"And now, with the introduction of TODAY Digital Edition on MediaCorp EasyReader, we're well placed in the evolution of digital newspapers."
EasyReader is modelled after the Times Reader from Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper New York Times, and is the first of its kind here.
Like the Times Reader, EasyReader is based on Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation's advanced graphical display technology, which allows content to be re-sized seamlessly to fit the dimensions of the screen.
Users can easily customise the look of the reader by enlarging or shrinking the display window and changing font size. Text and images on the page will be re-flowed automatically for optimal presentation. Even advertisements on the page are resized intelligently to ensure that they remain distortion-free.
Users also benefit from the interactive elements of EasyReader — they can highlight passages in the article, add notes on the page, as well as print content.
A major advantage of EasyReader is its offline access. Users can download the latest TODAY Digital Edition onto their notebooks to read on the go.
News on TODAY Digital Edition is categorised into seven sections — Hot News, Singapore, World, Voices, Business, Sports and Plus.
Other sections of the paper, such as Health and Technology, will be added to the Digital Edition in the coming months. Radio and TV programme listings as well as cinema screen schedules will also be incorporated.
News on TODAY Digital Edition is archived for up to 30 days and an enhanced search engine churns out a neat line-up of relevant news articles when keywords are entered.
Currently, only Windows XP and Vista users can access EasyReader. MediaCorp and E-Book Systems are working on developing a Macintosh version of the software.
Said Mr Shaun Seow, MediaCorp's deputy chief executive (News, Radio, Print): "Very soon, we will be adding more content from MediaCorp's magazines, television channels and radio stations, and even non-MediaCorp sources. It underlines MediaCorp's commitment to offering creative ways for our audiences to access our content, and cost effective ways for our advertisers to reach out to their target clients."
TODAY online subscribers can download the EasyReader program from www.todayonline.com and use their existing user ID and password to log on.
Non-subscribers need to fill up a simple registration form on the site before installing the software. You can also request for an installation CD by sending an email to readerfeedback@newstoday.com.sg. - TODAY/fa
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