BlackBerry gets a new magazine app, Zinio

iOS users have Flipboard and Zite and now BlackBerry’s got Zinio. The app is a content aggregator, which runs on OS 2.0 on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Zinio gives users access to multiple magazine and news titles from around the world. So, of course, the difference between Zite and Zinio is that Zite offers articles for free, while Zionio offers entire magazines for sale. The user can read and download single issues or subscriptions to their favourite magazines. The app also syncs your library to your home computer, smartphone and tablets. The application contains titles, like Rolling Stone, The Economist, Hello!, U.S. Weekly, T3, Macworld, Travel and Leisure and more. The app provides users with access to over 5,000 titles in 33 different languages. Magazines are available with full imagery in colour.

Magazines on the PlayBook

For a limited time, users who download the app and register will be eligible to receive two free magazines (Elle and Esquire). These magazines will be available globally upon launch. The app is available in the BlackBerry App World for free. However, it seems navigation across pages is a problem, as the page moves faster than your finger. That also proves to be a problem while scrolling as the application breezes through a story, if you’re trying to find a specific part. Furthermore, the prices of magazines seem to be a lot higher than what you might normally buy in a store, along with the freebies that come with a hard copy. However, the app does sell on portability and access (you can’t be told they’ve run out of copies of the magazine for instance). Will you download Zinio? Let us know in the comments section below.

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