Virgin's "Project" raises the bar for digital publications

After skimming the debut edition of Virgin's iPad lifestyle magazine "Project," I was immediately struck  by two things:

1. Why couldn't a company like Virgin, which exudes passion and energy, come up with a better name for what is a dynamic digital app?
2. The "Project" cover displays dynamically in portrait or landscape mode"Project" captured my attention and imagination like few magazines have done before. In the infant age of tablet publications, it's reset the bar for digital magazines and publications in general. That's saying something when magazines like Wired and Popular Science are doing innovative things. But "Project" is so well-packaged and executed that it's at times breath-taking. 

Unless you own an iPad, it's hard to describe all that "Project" is (although the video above offers a glimpse). I don't say that to be elitist -- there are millions of iPads after all -- but to reinforce the fact that touchscreen tablet computers will dramatically reshape how we view and interact with content. But here are some things about "Project" that knocked me out:

Click to read more ...

Enough hate for "The Daily" already

Updated on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 10:11 PM by Logan Molen

I don't get the hate that's already cropping up for Rupert Murdoch's planned tablet-only news product tentatively titled "The Daily." 

I get that Murdoch is evil in a lot of media circles. But what's the harm in letting someone try something that goes against the grain? In an age where there are no sure things when it comes to monetizing news online, shouldn't we celebrate someone with a big bag of cash funding an experiment that might work? Nope, at least among critics postulating recently at Fast Company, "This Week in Google" and more. 

What kills me is too many of these critics are basing their hate on the idea of a "newspaper" online. In fact, Murdoch is proposing a tablet-only product, which opens up all kinds of fresh opportunities in retooling - but not mimicking - the things that make newspapers authoritative and valued. The guys at "This Week in Media" said as much this week. Oddly, none of them have print backgrounds. Hmm. 

OK, a little background on the drama for newbies. 

Click to read more ...

iPad vs. Kindle, tablets and plain old books

I've resisted writing a Kindle vs. IPad post because too many others have done it already, and done it better. But after several comments from friends and co-workers who say they want advice from someone they know, I decided to bang something out. And since I use this site as a testbed, I’ll conduct an experiment at the same time and see what kinds of ads Google delivers to the left of this post.

This advice assumes you're interested in paying the money for a dedicated e-reader. If not, you'll want to stick to physical books or download a Kindle app to your smartphone or desktop. The Kindle apps aren't ideal options for extended reading, but they do in a pinch. And they're free.

OK, now to the e-reader question:

Click to read more ...