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The much anticipated Zinio app for the BlackBerry PlayBook finally launched last week making tons of PlayBook owners super happy. There was some concern as we were told previously that there would be a $25 credit for users that downloaded the PlayBook app but it wasn't immediately available after installation. However, Zinio was quick to respond to this issue, answering questions and providing information to those asking about the credit both on our blogs and on Twitter. It seems that most people have received the $25 credit by now, but if you have not you can register at the link below. The offer ends March 31, 2012 so don't miss out! If you've already registered but haven't gotten the email from Zinio, be sure you check your spam folder as many people are finding the information waiting for them there.
Zinio is a free app for not only the PlayBook but most other platforms as well. It gives you access to thousands of top magazines from around the world that you can purchase either per issue or with a full subscription. Magazines sync instantly on all your devices, so you're never without entertainment at home or on the go. You can download Zinio now for your PlayBook at the link below.
Register for the BlackBerry PlayBook owner $25 credit
Download Zinio for the BlackBerry PlayBook
Reader comments
Are you using the new Zinio app on your BlackBerry PlayBook?
I got a $5 tip after I made an account so yep, I am using it... Till I finish browsing the three magzines I have... I am not sure I'd sub to anything they have available...
I am having the same problems.
Trying to buy mags and I keep getting error message. Then app won't open without error message appearing
Not happy
I must say, im sure im one of the many that are hating on the playbook now. When i bought the playbook i thought it was amazing apart from the lack of apps, but it seems after the upgrade to 2.0 the device when down the drain. It got slower, apps dont work any more and the email app just kept emptying my inbox. So i woke up this morning very excited to use the zinio app cause i love reading magazines. I took about an hour to download the free magz i got, well whats the rush as long as i get them, right? So i went on to the store to get some new magz, but was so disappointed to see that some of the uk magz cost more than what they wud cost on the shelves with the excluded vat pricing. Buts thats not 2 important so long as i get the value innit. Only for me 2 buy 10 pounds worth of magz and none of them could download on the device. Its bcos of these reasons the ipad would always be better than the playbook. On the app store there are tons of apps that wouldnt work on the playbook, so y r they there. Is it that RIM do not have a quality testing team. Now i just wasted money paying for the magz and only heavens know when there are going to be downloadable. I think we the users of the playbook should write a "displeasure note" to RIM to tell them to stick their head into their freaking biz, no wanders u read news articles that RIM is on the edge of collapse. And its been hell typing this, cause i really dont understand y the new keyboard covers more than 50% of the screen.....crap.....
And crackberry, you guys only ever have good things to say about blackberry devices, dont you ever criticise any of their products? You need to get some honest critics working on your team... No offence intended.....
I downloaded the app on Sunday and I got the $25 credit today. Sure, a 10" screen would be nicer for reading a magazine, but who cares? I don't have a 10" screen and I'm not going to break the bank on an iPad so that I can read a $4 magazine. This definitely beats having stacks of old magazines cluttering up my house. Thanks Zinio!
i guess the 25$ credit is country specific. still not recvd it. i stay in inda. but the app overall is dissapointng. double tap wont make the page fit screen and its pretty annoying to read. secondly, no bookmarks !! left them a review and hope future updates are coming to fix these bugs. also they need to have a playbook support email id like they do for Ipad special.
but yes, they do have some decent collection.
Followed the link given in Crackberry and got the $25 dollar credit a few days later. Turns out, if you live in the U.K., it's a £20 credit..excellent value.
I've been looking to get away from buying paper magazines, and moving all my reading to the Playbook, so I've ditched Empire magazine (whose digital version is Apple only) and bought myself a 13 month subscription thru Vinio to Total Film instead.
Playbook goes everywhere with me now...
I hate that I can't find the US versions of some of my favorite magazines, but I do like the app.
I don't get all the magazines that are featured on my PC. Is this an app issue or is it just me?
Depends on the rating of the magazine. I believe the last I heard, "adult content" won't sync to mobile devices.
The panning is horrendous, but at least the app is available. I will be giving the app a 3 star rating at this point.
I have been waiting for my $25 credit since the first day this app was released....grrrrr
it's buggy to the point that I can't actually see the pages in the magazine, the primary function of this app is not working.
Anyways, i hope they fix it soon,
Currently using it with the $5 I got. Still waiting on my $25. Nothing in my spam folder.
I live in Germany and spend a lot of money on international press every month. I am already addiced to the Zinio app. Buying foreign magazines was a pretty big extravagance for me, but using Zinio I should be able to cut down on my monthly magazine bill by a whopping 80% plus I won't have to haul the magazines themselves around when I travel. I also like the fact that I can see the original layout but agree that the zooming thing really takes some getting used to. I'm sure magazine layouts are better on a 10 inch, but I wouldn't want to give up the portability of my 7-inch for anything. If they could make the zooming snappier and more intuitive I wouldn't have any complaints at all.
From Zinio:
Thank you for contacting Zinio Customer Support.
Thank you for using the brand new Zinio app on your Playbook! As it's our first app version for this platform, there may be some bugs that need to be resolved, but we're committed to fixing them and making your experience using Zinio as amazing as possible!
--------------------------------------
The Zinio app is not bad as it is, slightly buggy yes, nothing a few updates won't sort out. Also for many like me who can't download their old mags, this will also be sorted out soon. Zinio customer support is responsive and they seem to keep to their word.
No offense but people that complain that this and that is better on an iPad should really get an iPad, it is a great tablet after all, just a question of preference really......
Everything is better on the iPad, same with Kobo, why we get the secondhand stuff is beyond me..
Hey I was only given a $5 Dollar Credit
Nice app to have when travelling. Got all my magazines on it. The limitations of 7" screen got exposed though and the double tap has a problem with page edges. Hope they work on those things.
Brianflys.................best comment on here. Thank you.
Everyone cries that no developers want to support Blackberry or the Playbook- but everyone that has - has had to listen to the whining and complaining. Yes you should voice problems with the apps so they could be updated and fixed- however calling them crap will get you nowhere.
Honesty the 7 inch screen is awful for reading a magazine. One of the few apps I prefer on my ipad.
Thanks BB-Bmore for reminding me to check my junk mail. I received the $5 in my inbox so I assumed that was all I was getting...but then I found the $25 code in my junk mail :)
I also downloaded a Zinio reader on my computer because it said I needed to when I downloaded a magazine. Although the one I purchased with the $5 code didn't show up on my Playbook, I received another 3 free magazines including Popular Mechanics.
Although it may not be optimized for the Playbook, I'm glad to see apps like these pop up!
...I wrote in the post to check your spam folder. Doesn't anyone read the posts anymore? Lol
lol
There is clearly room for improvement with the app e.g. adding the text only option of the ipad app since it is handy for longer articles and also the conversion of more back issues, but it works pretty well now and being able to queue downloads is better than on the ipad.
Installed. Got the $5 and 35 Euro credits. Bought several subscriptions. Sure, it is an Android port, but damn, that is what we have been waiting for!!!!!!!!!
More importantly, the Zinio folks have been VERY SUPPORTIVE with responses to early issues with the "pg-13" magazines and providing information for the credits.
Suggest the whiners get over it and install the app and try a few magazines. Support these developers and we will get more and better apps and improvements to the ones we have now.
Complaining that everything isn't here now right now...and perfect...and free...gets us nowhere. Support the RIMPIRE ecosystem!!
Every time I try to download it, it says "This item is not supported. On your current. Device profile". I am on the most current PlayBook update.
Any ideas???
App World issue... lots of people have been reporting that intermittantly the past couple of weeks.
I would have liked a vote option for "no, i don't want to support zinio". they were rude when i inquired whether they would support the playbook about 2 months ago (before OS2 was released), and they messed up my account/subscriptions on an Android device and an ipad that i used.
i'm not a fan (as glad as i am that more big name devs are hoping on the bandwagon).
for now, i'm doing just fine with the Kindle reader on my playbook.
Found 5$ in my inbox and 25$ in my spam plus a bunch of links to free downloads. I am using it and I like it. Yes it could be better but its still good stuff for me. I will continue this new relationship with Zinio,
Good app! No crying here :P
I am in holding pattern because..
1. I am waiting for my print subscription to transfer over...so takes about one cycle to do that.
2. I am waiting for my $25 credit BUT
3. I got a $5 credit email as well...this will totally piss me off if Zinio screw this up
Let's wait and see...
BlackBerry 9810 + PlayBook
I might think about downloading it after they list the PlayBook on their website. Kind of pathetic for a company to be so lazy as to not even list the availability of the app of a platform. If this is any indication of the quality of the app, then no thanks.
It does have a better implementation on the iPad as I had one briefly before the Playbook. I have a National Geographic Interactive subscription and all I see are the last 2 issues. I should have another 12 or so back issues as well. Haven't seen the $25.00 credit yet so I will have to check my spam mail. I do hope that there is an update or two soon to make it work better or I'll be letting my subscriptions lapse. We've been waiting a long time for this, it should have been done better.
Tried it and I was not impressed.
Not that I am not interested in magazines on my PlayBook, I'm just not using it.... Can I get a simple "No" option
I read somewhere that the Zinio app is built using webworks, not android port. But still it buggy, scrolling, zooming in. With the playbook's performance making it as smooth as the iPad's version shouldn't be that hard.
I've replace all of my magazines with digital copies on zinio, it saves a lot of space and i can bring my magazines with me everywhere i go easily. Just hope that the app can be updated soon.
Is it just me or has anyone else received a 25 Euro credit instaid of $25? Cuz 25 euro > $25.
Updated the poll title to better reflect the options. :)
I got an email with a 5$ credit...not 25$
Follow the instructions in the post (use the link and register your email address) and you will get the $25. I got the spend $10 get $10 free, the $5 credit, and then finally after registering the next day I got the $25. :)
Thanks for the info. Ive been hearing about that $25 credit. But was unsure of how to get it.
I'm really enjoying this app, good interview to The Boss in the last issue of Rolling Stone. What I like about this app compared to tablet-optimized ones, is that you actually see how the printed version of the magazine looks like, including ads and everything, so it's really like having the magazine. It's obviously not suitable for the small display of a 7" tablet, but one can zoom in easily and read column by column, and then enjoy the photographs/charts/etc.
There is always room for improvement, maybe more intuitive zoom in/zoom out, panning, etc. But what I think will make it even better is if the next PlayBook comes with better resolution which at the end will make it even better via HDMI. PlayBook HD, RIM?
ps. The Economist sideloaded on android player gets painful sometimes, bringing the device to a halt, but that's pretty much due to the state of the current android player.
I got a $5 tip after I made an account so yep, I am using it... Till I finish browsing the three magzines I have... I am not sure I'd sub to anything they have available...
The only "No" option also says one isn't interested in magazines on the PlayBook.
I would select "No", but I am interested in magazines. I'm waiting patiently for the Economist to make its app available. (And, no, I don't want to jailbreak, or sideload, or whatever the kids are calling it these days. :)
Was writing my comment above at the same time as you wrote yours.
Really you should sideload, you'll be very happy.
should be an option for "Yes but not impressed" or "yes but I wont use it " even with 25$ free I doubt will use it much. Hate to be negative about it, as is nice to see the popular apps coming to PB but I'm just not impressed with the quality or execution.
I agree totally. I'm not bothered that it is little more than ported from Android, what I don't get is there seems to be no effort to optimize for the 7 inch screen. Playbook is not the only 7 inch screen tablet out there, but this just doesn't feel cutomized at all.
I might pick up a mag before getting on an airplane, but I doubt I'll get any subscription until the app feels more optimized for the playbook.
I was wainting for this app to read The Economist (the only mag I read regularly) after waiting for almost a year (bought PB on day 1) the release of the Zinio app made me go over an sideload the Economist Android app. It optimizes for screen size.I didn't want to side load. I knew I could have sideloaded before Zinio came out, but I wanted to wait and support a company that supports the playbook, but not only was there no optimization for the PB screen, there was no Economist magazine to be purchased although it was available for iPad, Adroid etc. etc.
The developer really took RIM up on their "it's so easy to port from Android" offer. They didn't do anything above and beyond to make the user experience geared for PlayBook users. It has "Android" written throughout the text in the app. My magazines don't appear either, even the one I bought through the PlayBook. They should be using RIM's in-app purchasing system through App World. And, to my knowledge, RIM isn't getting any cut from the sales because of this.
I hope this is just an "ok, we're here" app and the devs will re-write it.
While I would have completely agreed with you until yesterday, the app has started to work flawlessly since today.
Downloaded a couple of magazine: Topgear UK (which I paid taking advantage of the $25 promo for PB users) and Esquire (free sample).
Works great, and even shopping from within the App was enabled. I had to uninstall and reinstall a couple of times, but now its A-OK!
Nevertheless, they will update the app, hopefully using the PB-'s NDK.
Cheers!
I am liking the Zinio app BUT, it's a bit buggy and not as slick as the iPad version. I really hope Zinio will work on updates. I bought a couple of magazines, will likely buy more.
Might not keep using it, but I did buy one cheaper subscription to give it a try. I'm not sure I'm enough of a magazine reader to keep it up, though.
Just wondering, does anyone know what RIM's cut of each magazine download is? 10%? 20%?
Don't think RIM is getting anything since you download the mags from within the Zinio app, not App World.
App World requires that any good sold within app downloaded via App World must forfeit 30% of the purchased price even if the app doesn't utilize the App World payment service.
So, yes, RIM gets 30%