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NY Times, Microsoft Build Vista App

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

April 28, 2006, 5:59 PM

The New York Times has joined up with Microsoft to build a new standalone application for reading the newspaper's content on a PC. The tool, called Times Reader, was unveiled Friday in prototype form and takes advantage of the Windows Presentation Foundation that will ship in Vista.

Specifically, Vista's WPF display technologies will enable Times content to be automatically adjusted for any screen size, with users able to customize font size and content relevance. The application will utilize the same font styles as the print edition of the New York Times.

“The Times Reader is a great next step in melding the readability and portability of the newspaper with the interactivity and immediacy of the Web,” said New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. The program can be used online and offline by downloading stories to the local computer.

Microsoft aided in the development of Times Reader, which it hopes will serve as a starting point for other organizations looking to take advantage of the new capabilities coming in Windows Vista. The Redmond company plans to publish a software development kit in the near future for the purpose.

“The Times Reader is a powerful example of how companies can use software to forge new types of customer connections that span beyond the browser to the desktop and mobile devices,” said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.

A free download of the Times Reader is expected to be available in the coming months. Although Microsoft has back-ported the new Windows Presentation Foundation to XP, the application will likely require Windows Vista Beta 2, due out at the end of next month.

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By bourgeoisdude

edited May 1, 2006 - 6:24 PM

Microsoft and NY Times? Talk about a deal with the devil (depending on your view, the devil is either MS or NYT...) MY VIEW is that this will now make Windows a political propoganda machine. If/When that happens, I might actually join the MS haters!

Score: 0

By stevecla

edited Apr 29, 2006 - 2:42 PM

Hot on the heels of the Mix.06 demo from the BBC which was pretty cool and shows the direction some of the big media companies are headed in taking advantage of technology to find new ways to connect with their audience.

http://blogs.msdn.com/st.../2006/04/26/584309.aspx

Score: 0

By tscar12

posted May 1, 2006 - 12:51 PM

I have to admit i am mystified at the way a simple article can turn into a flaming of this browser or another or an flame on a newspaper. First of all, you can read the NYT online now so this is no big deal. Of course, you have to give so much info to NYT that it makes the NSA wiretapping seem like child's play plus the NYT is the only paper that I have encountered that embedds adds in their paper that can't be stopped by any type of pop-up blocker or browser. The NYT tends to be more liberal than some other papers but remember it's a big corporation( it also owns the Boston Globe) and has all the faults of a big corporation. I would agree that as the NYT has gotten bigger it has lost some of it's cutting edge investigative reporting but then few news outlets have that cutting edge anymore. It is a sad commentary on the state of news reporting in this country.

Score: 0

By wigi

posted Apr 30, 2006 - 10:03 AM

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to read NYT thru Vista even if
I wanted to, and there is no way I would put a Windows Vista Beta 2 application on my computer anyway!

What a combination NYT and Microsoft..........who needs them!

Score: 0

By opticnut

edited Apr 29, 2006 - 5:49 PM

For me, it makes sense..I ready the NYT, but can't always read the paper copy since time is limited (kids and all...)..but having it on my PC means I could read it anywhere...

I don't see any disadvantage really..as long as it's readable on my screen...

Score: 0

By metazoan

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 4:41 AM

Personally, I like the idea. I like and applaud what Microsoft has been working on to date this year and even projects last year.

Negative comments about any company that has ideas...which work...and come to market...somehow seem to give skulkers here a reason to complain about what any company on any given day is not specifically offering to them.

Think about the glass half full. Read the NY Times and find out if it's worthwhile or not. Instead of making a pessimistic reply, why not think about the bigger picture. What Microsoft has developed could be for ANY article that you; the reader, might be interested in. Is that not benificial to you when you need more clarity on the screen text and relevance to what pertains to you?

Of course, what Vista has turned out to be so far. They may be stretching themselves a bit thin on dipping into every resource, instead of concentrating on what was promised to the consumer to begin with. With the glass being half full; wait until RTM comes out and have something concrete before it is loved or hated. BetaNews is simply that: BETA.

Score: 0

By athome

posted May 1, 2006 - 9:11 AM

I will second that.

Score: 0

By zridling

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 12:58 AM

Why would anyone want to read that paper? It supports war, rampant plagiarism, outing CIA agents, encourages the government to spy on its citizens, hires admitted conservative plagiarists, and removes comments from its website of anyone not towing their party line. I can't remember the last time the NYTimes brought us any news that wasn't "made up."

Score: 0

By deepisland

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 8:50 AM

For you to even suggest the NYT is conservative shows that you have never read that paper.

The NYT is one of the most liberal papers in the country.

Score: 0

By zridling

posted May 1, 2006 - 2:06 PM

Name me ONE Bush administration policy the NYT has not supported. It's the Fox News of newspapers, and the Wash.Post is its sister. Obviously you don't read its editorial page, which for years has ignored the facts reported in its own paper.

Score: 0

By 4421

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 8:17 PM

Poor US, NYT liberal?

Now I understand.

Score: 0

By Frostek

posted May 1, 2006 - 8:44 AM

The amount of times I hear the words "liberal media" from Americans is unbelievable!

Since most of them tow the line with governmental policy I don't see how this myth stays alive.

Score: 0

By deepisland

posted May 1, 2006 - 9:16 AM

Because it's not a myth. Obviously you are not from this country, so you have no idea what you are talking about.

Score: 0

By GeniusEvil

posted Apr 28, 2006 - 11:40 PM

If it's done right, could be interesting. With my nifty little laptop, WiFi, etc. I am regularly situations where I wish the Web were smarter about caching (e.g. a park, airplane, damn - in my own wifi-bathed house). And if this app finally makes reading on a computer tolerable, then it'll be useful. We'll have to wait and see when the actual beta comes out.

Score: 0

By boner24

edited Apr 28, 2006 - 10:31 PM

Apologies for the multiple identical posts. Website behaving very oddly in my browser. Now, where is the delete post button again..?

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 12:34 PM

"Delete Post" button? We don't *need* no steenkeen "Delete Post" buttons!

Call the Mods morons. Or rant against the editor.

Either of these work just as well as any old-sk00l "delete post" button.

Sheesh..

Score: 0

By boner24

edited Apr 28, 2006 - 10:33 PM

Post nuked.

Score: 0

By boner24

edited Apr 28, 2006 - 10:35 PM

Duplicate post nuked.

Score: 0

By boner24

posted Apr 28, 2006 - 10:25 PM

Yet another pitiful attempt by Microsoft to promote that dog of an operating system they call Vista.

The Times Reader is a powerful example of how desperate Microsoft are to promote a woefully bloated, unfeasibly late to market operating system and divert attention away from its numerous detractors, some of whom appear to exist within Microsoft itself.

See: http://minimsft.blogspot...ire-leadership-now.html for further details.

Score: 0

By 4421

posted Apr 28, 2006 - 7:53 PM

“The Times Reader is a powerful example of how companies can use software to forge new types of customer connections that span beyond the browser to the desktop and mobile devices,” said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and I answer to him:

Why do I want an application for this which offers me no advantage? A browser is enough.

Okay. okay. "Offline reading".

Sounds like a marketing stunt for Table PCs.

Score: 0

By deepisland

posted Apr 28, 2006 - 6:53 PM

Great. Microsoft will make it easier for me to read the misinformation and distorted news from the NYT.

Score: 0

By horsecharles

posted Apr 28, 2006 - 8:09 PM

& to boot not even for free, w/ 'times select'......

Score: 0

By rijp

edited Apr 28, 2006 - 6:29 PM

You know another, several I can think of tried this, PointCast (formerly another product NewsCastor or something), Prodigy (when it was still dos), AOL had an offline version of content, to retrieve/send email, even BBS had *.qwk files for sending receiving messages..

They don't work. People want REAL TIME info, not cached. What's the point of reading news that's already 10 minutes old? You can have an archive of news, but a stand alone software is just a re-stupid idea.

Even if its a copy of the paper.. It still has to be downloaded.. yeah, ok you can read it when you don't have constant connection, but then why not simply pick up a newspaper? What's the point of electronic if its not up to the minute?

Score: 0

By metazoan

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 4:50 AM

um.

10 minutes of news? That's a bit demanding, isn't it?

You say people want real time info?

I disagree.

Why are newspapers still successful? Or any other magazine on the newsstands? People want a well written article as well as being as up -to-date without missing out on the facts. i think you need to hire a News Anchor to keep you up to date on whatever it is that can't wait for you to relax and take a load off.

Score: 0

By kberg31974

edited Apr 29, 2006 - 1:58 AM

Actually, there's a HUGE advantage for people with disabilities. I, for example, can't turn pages very easily, so I prefer to have EVERYTHING electronic/digital. A visually impaired person could have their screen reader read the paper to them on their laptop while they ride the bus.

Just because it doesn't help you, doesn't mean it is not useful for others.

I hope The Seattle Times follows suit, actually.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Apr 29, 2006 - 12:32 PM

Wouldn't that make their vision worse?

*grin*

Score: 0

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