Chapter  14

Newsstand and More

In the last chapter, we spoke about how the iPhone has revolutionized the world of reading with iBooks. Not only is the iPhone unparalleled for reading e-books, it's Newsstand folder is unequaled in dealing with new media such as online newspapers and magazines. Plus, the App Store makes it easy to find comic books readers, PDF readers, and more. The iPhone is even set to revitalize the comic book industry with comic books that look beautiful and are amazingly interactive.

In this chapter, we'll explore how to enjoy new media using the iPhone's vivid screen and terrific touch interface.

Newsstand

The Newsstand is a special folder on your iPhone's Home screen that looks like a bookshelf and collects and organizes all your magazine and newspaper apps. This folder does not behave like a regular iPhone folder. If a magazine or newspaper app supports Newsstand, then it will show you the latest cover art or front page for that periodical sitting on the shelf, rather than the Newsstand Folder icon (you will also see this cover or front page in the Fast App Switcher).

If the magazine or newspaper app offers subscriptions and you're a subscriber, then Newsstand apps can also automatically download the latest issues overnight, so you have something new to read when you open it in the morning.

The Newsstand folder also has a Store button that takes you to a special section of the App Store. This section lists all the magazine and newspaper apps that currently support Newsstand.

Other than the special presentation and ability to download new issues automatically, a Newsstand app otherwise functions just like any other app.

Buying and Subscribing to Periodicals

The newspaper and magazine apps in Newsstand are typically free; however, they also typically come with very little or even no content built in. To get the content, you need to either buy individual issues or subscribe to a number of issues.

Buying issues is handled like any other in-app purchase. Typically, you'll be shown a list of recent issues with the cover art on the left and a content blurb on the right, along with the price of the issue. Tap the price and you'll be asked for your iTunes password to confirm the purchase. Once you confirm a purchase, your issue will begin to download.

Subscribing to newspapers and magazines is handled like a special in-app purchase that lasts for a specified period of time. For example, you can often purchase a year's worth of newspapers for a set price. Some newspapers and magazines offer different subscription length options, such as three years, six months, and so on. Some also offer bundles that include both the print and digital editions. Make sure you read your options carefully and figure out which one provides you with the greatest value.

You might wonder what you do if you've bought a subscription or an individual issue, and you need to re-install the app that displays the content. If that happens, you can simply re-install the app and then restore your subscription or re-download any individual issues you've previously purchased. In other words, the process of restoring content in Newsstand apps is identical to that of restoring content for any other in-app purchase.

Newspapers

Remember the days when newspapers were delivered to the house? Invariably, if there was one puddle in the sidewalk, that was where the newspaper landed! You took it out of that plastic bag, shook it off, and tried to make out what was in the section that got soaked.

Well, those days may be gone forever. You now have the opportunity to interact with the news and even get your paper delivered every day—but to your iPhone instead of your driveway.

Many newspapers and news sites are developing apps for the iPhone, with new apps seeming to appear every day. Some of these apps provide a level of free content, but require you to create an account or subscribe to get more. Others apps provide content only with a subscription.

Let's take a quick look at The New York Times, one of largest newspapers in the U.S., and see how that paper has revolutionized reading the news on the iPhone.

The New York Times app

The New York Times provides various apps, both free and paid, to bring you the news on the iPhone.

The New York Times offers a slimmed-down version of the paper in its free iPhone app.

There are four soft keys at the bottom of the page: Top News, Most E-Mailed, Favorites and Sections. Each section carries a sampling of stories from those sections in the current day's paper.

Touching Sections shows you tabs for all sections of the New York Times.

Navigating The New York Times app is as simple as touching an article and scrolling through the story. While reading a story, just touch the center of the screen and the soft keys on the top and bottom will appear.

To go back to the Home page, touch the Latest News button in the upper left-hand corner.

Moving Through and Enjoying Content

After you play for a while with different newspaper apps, you'll begin to realize that there is no real standard for navigating newspaper content. This means you'll need to become familiar with each app's own way of navigating articles, as well as how to return to the main screen. Here's a short guide for generally navigating these types of apps:

• Showing or Hiding Control buttons or Captions: Tapping the screen once usually shows hidden controls or picture captions. You can tap the screen again to re-hide these elements.
• Getting to the Details of an Article: Usually, you scroll through the articles, just as you would on a web page.
• Viewing a Video: Typically, you just tap a video to start playing it. See Chapter 15: “Viewing Videos” to learn how to navigate videos on the iPhone.
• Expanding a Video or Image Size: You can try pinching open in the video or image and then double-tapping it. You can also look for an Expand button or try rotating to Landscape mode.
• Reducing a Video or Image Size: You can try pinching closed inside the video or image to reduce the size of a video. You can also look for a Close or Minimize button or try rotating back to Portrait mode.
• Sharing an Article: Sending an article link via email—or sharing it over a social network like Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn—is a common feature. Look for an Action or Share button.
• Adjusting Font Sizes: Many newspaper apps have a button or settings option for increasing or decreasing the default font size to make the content easier to read.

Magazines

It is no secret that both newspapers and magazines have suffered declines in readership over the last few years. The iPhone offers a totally new way of reading magazines that might just give the industry the boost it needs.

Pictures are incredibly clear and brilliant in magazines on the iPhone. Navigation is usually easy, and stories seem to come to life, much more so than in their print counterparts. Add video and sound integration right into the magazine, and you can see how the iPhone truly enhances the magazine reading experience.

Some magazines, such as TIME Magazine, include links to live or frequently updated content. These links might be called Newsfeeds, Live Editions, or Updates. Check for them in any magazine you purchase—these links will help you access the most up-to-date information.

The App Store has a couple different kinds of magazine apps. First, you can find apps that let you purchase individual magazines or view limited content from a given magazine for free. Second, you can find magazine readers that provide samples of many magazines; these allow you to subscribe to weekly or monthly delivery of a given magazine.

If you browse in the App Store by Categories > Newsstand, then tap Top Free a the top, you can check out all the free magazines and newspapers.

The Zinio Magazine App—A Sampler

The Zinio app takes a unique approach. This app is free in the App Store, and it gives you the ability to subscribe to hundreds of magazine titles. Reading magainzes in Zinio requires a few simple steps:

1. Log into the Zinio app (You can create a free account).
2. View and download free samples in the My Library section or click the Shop button at the bottom to purchase magazines.
3. Some magazines may be giving away full, free issues. Just look in the My Library section to see what is available.

There are many popular magazines you can choose from. The categories cover everything from art to sports and more. Prices vary, but often you can buy either a single issue or a yearly subscription.

For example, the latest issue of Popular Mechanics was US $1.99 on Zinio, and a yearly subscription was US $7.99.

Some of the subscriptions make great sense. A single issue of Bike Magazine was US $4.99 at the time of writing, while a yearly subscription was only US $9.00.

A closer look revealed that there were more than 16 cycling magazines you could subscribe to at the time of writing.

Comic Books

One genre of “new media” poised for a comeback with the advent of the iPhone is the comic book. The iPhone, with its high-definition screen and powerful processor, makes the pages of comic books come alive.

There are already a few comic book apps available, including one from the famous Marvel Comics. DC Comics has just launched its app, as well. This app was created by the same people who make the Marvel app.

To locate the Marvel Comics app in the App Store, go to Categories and then Books. The app is free, and you can purchase comic books from inside the app.

At the bottom of the Home screen, you'll see five buttons: My Comics, Featured, Free, Top 25, and Browse. Purchases you make will be under the My Comics heading.

The App Store gives you the opportunity to download both free comics and individual issues for sale. Most sell for $1.99 per issue.

Each tab takes you to a new list of comics to browse, much like the iTunes store.

Touch the Browse button to browse by Series, Creator, Genre, Rating, Storylines/Arcs, or Release Date. Or you can type in a search to find a particular comic.

You can read a comic book in one of two ways. First, you can swipe through the pages and read one page after another. Second, you can double-tap a frame to Zoom in, and then tap the screen to advance to the next frame in the comic strip. From there, you can just swipe from right to left to advance a frame; or, if you want to go back, swipe from left to right.

To return to the Home screen or to see the onscreen options, just tap the center of the screen. You'll see a Settings button in the top-left corner. Touch this and you can Jump to the First Page, Browse to a Page, or go to the Settings menu.

The iPhone as a PDF Reader

There are several programs available that turn the iPhone into a very capable PDF viewing program. For example, you can also read PDF files in the iBooks app. However, another great PDF reader is called GoodReader for iPhone.

You can find the GoodReader for iPhone app in the Productivity section of the App Store. At the time of writing, this app costs US $4.99.

Transferring Files to your iPhone

One of the great things about the GoodReader for iPhone app is that you can use it to wirelessly transfer large files from your Mac or PC to the iPhone for viewing in the GoodReader app. You can also use GoodReader for document sharing in iTunes, as discussed in Chapter 3: “Sync with iCloud, iTunes, and More.” Follow these steps to transfer a file with GoodReader:

1. Touch the small Wi-Fi icon at the bottom left of the screen, and the Wi-Fi Transfer Utility pops up. You are prompted either to type in an IP address into your browser or a Bonjour address if you use the Bonjour service.
2. Type the address shown in the window from GoodReader into a web browser on your computer. Now you can make your computer act as a server. You'll see that your computer and iPhone are now connected. You might bookmark this page on your browser, however, beware because it can change if you re-start your wireless network router and your iPhone gets a different wireless network address.
3. Click the Choose File button in the web browser on your computer to locate a file to upload to your iPhone.
4. Once you've selected the file, click Upload Selected File and the file will be automatically transferred to your iPhone.

How is this useful? Well, for one of the authors (Gary), the iPhone has become a repository for more than 100 pieces of piano sheet music. This means no more downloading PDF files, printing them out, putting them into binders, and then trying to remember which song is in which binder. Now, all his music is catalogued on the iPhone. All he has to do is put the iPhone on the piano, and he has access to all his music in one place.

Navigating the GoodReader PDF viewer is quite easy. This app is more sensitive than others, so tap the center of the screen quickly to bring up the onscreen controls. You can then go to your library or touch the Turn Page icon to turn the page.

The easiest way to move through pages is to touch the lower-right side of the screen to advance a page, or touch the upper-left side of the screen to go back a page. This becomes quite natural after a while.

You can also flick up or down to turn pages.

To go to another PDF file or another piece of sheet music, just touch the center of the iPhone quickly and touch the My Documents button in the upper-left corner.

Connecting to Google Docs and other Servers with GoodReader

You can also connect to Google Docs and other servers with GoodReader. Follow these steps to do so:

1. In the Web Downloads tab, choose Connect to Servers.
2. Select Google Docs. (You can select a number of different servers: mail servers, MobileMe iDisk, Public iDisk, Dropbox, box.net, FilesAnywhere.com, MyDisk.se, WebDAV Server, and FTP Servers.)
3. Enter your Google Docs username and password to log in.
4. Once you've made the connection, a new Google Docs Server icon will appear under the Connect to Server tab on the right side of the page.
5. Tap the new Google tab to connect to the server (an Internet connection is required).
6. Now you'll see a list of all the documents you have stored on Google Docs. Tap any document and select the file type to download it. Usually, PDF works well for this. (Google docs can do a Save As…, and PDF files are easier to work with.)

Once the file is downloaded, it will appear on the left side of GoodReader; you can simply touch it to open it.