In-house designers and developers at The Walrus have released a mobile application that delivers the magazine’s content as a newly optimized digital reading experience on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch portable media devices.
It’s the latest digital development at Toronto-based publishing company The Walrus Foundation, which recently re-launched its website, formed a partnership with a specialty TV service while also launching an electronic commons portal.
The new app is now available on Newsstand on the App Store; it provides access to the same essays, articles, fiction, poetry, and criticism as the print magazine, as well as additional exclusive content, including image galleries, related in-app articles, and videos from Walrus TV.
Content is automatically delivered to a subscriber’s iPad, iPhone or iPod touch each month; all assets in the app are downloadable and storable, described David Leonard Director of Events and Special Projects at The Walrus Foundation, so users do not need to be ‘connected’ to read or view the content.
He added that an Android version is in the works.
The app was created using Mag+, a suite of tools for mobile publishing and content integration across multiple digital platforms. The company is based in Sweden.
The Walrus magazine for iOS features connectivity with major social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, with tools for email or SMS sharing. The app also has a page-preview carousel showing a thumbnail of each page, with scrolling between pages and a bookmarking function for quick return to selected articles.
“The Walrus magazine on Newsstand is a great way to continue the conversation. The same award-winning writing and art, but delivered faster, more content, and optimized by The Walrus Art Director Brian Morgan to look beautiful on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch,” said Nic Boshart, Manager of Digital Initiatives at The Walrus Foundation.
The Walrus magazine iOS app is available for free; through Newsstand, each new issue will be delivered to the user’s iPad, iPhone and iPod touch including the latest cover art.
Issues are priced individually, or by annual subscription.
The Walrus Foundation is a charitable non-profit organization with a mandate to promote writers, artists, education, and conversation on matters vital to Canadians. The company works across many platforms: publishing The Walrus magazine ten times a year, in print and tablet editions; hosting debates, leadership dinners, speakers’ series, and other events across the country; producing original high-quality digital content; hosting The Walrus Laughs; partnering with eqhd to produce documentaries and other programming for Walrus TV; and publishing ebooks by Canada’s finest writers.
The Foundation also runs an intensive internship program in media, the arts, non-profit development, and digital publishing.
For more Mediacaster Magazine coverage related to this topic, please see:
The Walrus Moves from Print to Online to Specialty TV
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/the-walrus-moves-from-print-to-online-to-specialty-tv/1000814091/
Walrus Foundation and HitSend.ca Launch Online SoapBox
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/walrus-foundation-and-hitsend-ca-launch-online-soapbox/1001084785/