Cal State East Bay Magazine introduces free iPad edition
- April 30, 2013
Readers of Cal State East Bay Magazine now have another green option for browsing through the pages of the alumni publication while on the go. A free application available through iTunes will allow iPad users to download the current issue of Cal State East Bay Magazine, plus recent archived editions.
“More and more people are using iPads, and there are qualities to a tablet publication, including richness of images and interactive possibilities, that make it an interesting way to connect to the magazine,” said Jesse Cantley, associate director for Creative Services and Publications.
Twice annual publication of the print edition and online magazine will continue, but with iPad devices found in nearly half of American households, it also made sense to give readers an electronic tablet option.
For those who haven’t used them, tablets are flat, hand-held computerized devices that are smaller than a laptop but larger than a smart phone and allow users to search the Internet, check email and download movies, books and other reading material, including periodicals.
“We don’t know how big CSUEB’s tablet audience is yet,” Cantley said. “But we’re getting ourselves ready for the future of (electronic) publications. We’ve already made steps in the right direction.”
Tablets became popular with consumers soon after introduction of the iPad in 2010, followed by tablets made by Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung and others. Last year, approximately 123 million were sold worldwide.
The cost-effective technology CSUEB is using to make available an iPad version of Cal State East Bay Magazine eventually is expected to support Android tablets, as well, Cantley said.
For a free copy of the , visit iTunes.com, and search for Cal State East Bay Magazine in the education section.
Once downloaded, the tablet version of the magazine allows readers to use a finger swipe motion to flip through the pages. Movements such as “pinching” or “pulling” gestures on the screen surface allow the viewer to magnify an image or text size or reduce it.
“It’s super easy to use and only has three buttons,” Cantley said. One button takes the reader instantly to the table of contents, another calls up the magazine archives page featuring the four most recent editions and the third button returns the user to the magazine home page.
“You’ll need to download the application each time the magazine comes out,” Cantley said. “For iPad users, it’s a very nice way to experience the university magazine.”