PressReader newspaper app to be preinstalled on BlackBerry PlayBook with OS update

Newspaper Direct announced today that their popular PressReader app will be preinstalled on the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS update. PressReader is an app that gives users access to more than 2,000 newpapers from across the globe in digital form. While PressReader is already available for the PlayBook, it currently requires you to download from BlackBerry App World. The PlayBook OS update is still quite far off, but regardless, we can hope this paves the way for plenty of other great premium apps as well. Keep reading for more.

More information/download of PressReader

MONTE CARLO, MONACO, November 11, 2011 (Monaco Media Forum): NewspaperDirect announced that the company's PressReader application will be preloaded on BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The PressReader application, which is optimized for the BlackBerry PlayBook and currently available on BlackBerry App World, gives users instant access to more than 2,000 news publications from 95 countries.

Top daily newspapers from each country will be available, including: Chicago Tribune, Daily Mail, International Herald, Irish Times, La Presse, La Tribune, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Monde, National Post, The Australian, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail and The Washington Post, to name just a few.

PressReader takes advantage of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's high-resolution display to present newspapers as complete digital replicas of printed editions. Users can swipe from page to page to get a quick overview of the news - just as they would with a real newspaper. Any article can also be magnified or displayed in an easy to read text view.

Feature highlights include:

• Flip pages in portrait or landscape mode as if reading a paper publication
• Pan/zoom articles and images, and view them in high resolution
• Easily navigate publications using page thumbnails or tables of contents
• Read full articles in text view or using the built-in text-to-speech feature
• Online publication search and automated daily download of select titles
• Article sharing on Facebook and Twitter
• Integration with an existing PressDisplay.com subscription

"The PressReader app helps satisfy our users' demand for convenient access to premium news content," said Martyn Mallick, vice president, global alliances and business development, Research In Motion. "The BlackBerry PlayBook is the optimal platform to showcase digital news, and we're pleased to be working with NewspaperDirect to make PressReader readily available to our customers."

"NewspaperDirect is committed to giving readers convenient access to premium news content on their device of choice," said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect. "With PressReader pre-loaded on BlackBerry PlayBook, users have instant access to over 2,000 full-content newspapers from 95 countries with just one click, and our publishing partners can enjoy immediate brand exposure to a growing channel of new readers, at no operational cost."

Availability and pricing

Most individual newspapers and magazines available through PressReader can be purchased for $0.99 per issue, or downloaded in conjunction with a paid subscription on PressDisplay.com. For details on subscription pricing, visit our subscription page.