07. 13. 2004
Zinio: Digital Magazines

If you've ever wished you could read magazines while looking like you were working, then Zinio is for you. While newspapers and magazines have been online for many years, websites don't always provide the full text available in print versions and the non-linear format is a very different experience even if you can find what you're looking for. Zinio provides a digital magazine that is identical to the print one: one third magazine, two thirds advertisements.
I'm the last person in the world who needs more magazines. I read them on my Treo in eReader format, I have them read to me as
Audible Audio, and I buy and subscribe to more magazines than any ten people could get through. My house literally bleeds magazines. If you bump into anything, a flood of Time (somehow I always manage to get through US and People, but I still hope to catch up on my 11,000 unread New Yorkers) and Newsweek will rain down on you.
Even so, Zinio is my new obsession. The Zinio format looks like a PDF, but is encrypted much like an iTunes download. You need a Zinio account and the Zinio reader to read the magazines. A typical photo-filled glossy magazine like Business Week is about 15mb. Most pages are readable in the default two page layout, but you may need to zoom in on some print. I've found that reading on the monitor helps me get through the magazine quickly. Maybe it's because I'm so used to trying to work efficiently on a computer, while I tend to linger over a magazine.
I only wish the Zinio selection was better. It's new and still expanding, but right now the options are heavily focused in business and technology. I'd kill for an InTouch. Sometimes the magazines are cheaper this way too. You can get my favorite magazine for $4.99 a year.
Try out Zinio by getting a free sample.
Posted by Mia
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