Time Magazine launched its Android app recently, and I’m hoping it starts a wave of major publications to the Android Market. While the iPhone has seen countless magazine titles, Android users have been left out of the fun.
So what options are there for Android users? Here are a few publications that showed up at the Android party early:
Major publications
Time Magazine is among the first major magazine titles to bring an app to Android. Free, you get articles, videos, podcasts and photos delivered straight to your phone. Save articles for offline reading and share them with friends. An available home screen widget makes Time updates readily accessible.
Oprah is a lifestyle brand, as evidenced by her show, book club and magazine. Access select articles on Oprah Mobile’s $1.99 Android app, along with show clips, radio programs and inspirational tips.
Epicurious is the online home of Gourmet Magazine, giving the Android app high marks on our list. Free, the app offers articles and featured recipes, along with a searchable database of menu ideas and a meal planner. Build a shopping list in-app, and share favorites with friends. Hopefully we’ll see more titles from Conde Nast on Android soon.
Music & entertainment
The same development team that brought you Oprah Mobile has also created an app for rocker magazine Revolver. Also $1.99, the Revolver TV app for Android brings you exclusives from artists’ studios, by way of interviews and behind-the-scenes clips. The app also offers an array of new rock music videos.
MOG started out as an online magazine for artists, and the recently-launched Android app takes things a step further. Read up on artist info, hear the music and enjoy artist-specific stations. With a $9.99 monthly subscription, you can download songs to your phone or desktop, making MOG your giant music library in the cloud.
Issuu is an eReader for indie publishers to distribute their digital magazines. You’ll find well-known titles and more obscure ones, as Issuu also supports self-publishing. Full of foreign and creative publications (among other titles), the free app has configurable read settings, sharing tools and socially-driven recommendations.
DigitalArti is the Android-based portal for the international arts community. The mobile magazine offers related news in English and French, as well as information about artists and festivals. Get your fill of photos and videos of artwork and specialty content with this free app.