The Guardian has just launched their free Google Android application available to customers worldwide.
The Guardian iOS application is not free and many companies have successfully monetized their content in the Apple ecosystem. They revised their subscription model in January offering varying levels of access. The British news source has claimed over 67,000 for their subscriber base.
The new Android application is going to be totally free for the local and international customer base. It will be supported via advertisements with small banner ads spread throughout the news items.
One of the great things about the new app is the sheer amount of customization options that allow you to tailor your reading experience. You can set up your homepage to place specific sections of the paper first. You can also browse all the categories, photo galleries, and the latest video.
This is the first Android version of the Guardian that is truly official. In the past, other variants of their news has been published via an API that the company lets developers use. This pulls content via the RSS feed and other proprietary systems and existing developers have been monetizing it from some time. How the official app affects the developers using its content is unknown.
via Paid Content
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
