Zinio brings magazines to Android phones
updated 11:05 am EDT, Fri July 15, 2011
Zinio Android app reaches Android 2.2 and 2.3
Zinio reached out to Android in earnest on Friday by expanding its magazine aggegator app (free, Android Market) to phones. Anyone with an Android 2.2 or 2.3 device, including pseudo-tablets like the original Galaxy Tab, can browse the full collection of publishers and read magazines in a format optimized for the smaller screen. The design still brings audio and video and can show more of the native format when tilted into landscape mode.
Early adopters who download and launch the app on or before August 15 get 12 free, up to date issues of a mix of major and minor magazines. An app for BlackBerry users is almost ready to ship, Zinio said. Versions already exist for Linux, Macs, and Windows PCs as well as webOS and Windows Phone 7.
The phone port comes a month after the Android tablet version and brings Android up to par with where the iPad and iPhone have been as long ago as 2008. It's uncertain why Android phones have waited relatively long to get their own version.
