Stop the presses! Introducing the "PopSci Genius Guide," our new how-to multi-media mag. No paper required
Posted 03.17.2009 at 10:56 am
8 Comments
I'm not known to buy in blindly to the next big thing, but here is something I know: The twin forces of economic necessity and technological opportunity will soon (in 3, 5, 10 years max) conspire to turn the phrase "print magazine" into an oxymoron. And you know what? It's going to be great.
The catalyst for this transformation will come when a next-next-gen e-reader hits the market, one with a screen large enough to display a full-size magazine page -- or, if you fold it open, a two-page spread -- in glorious, high-resolution color. When that happens, we'll probably offer an incentive of some kind to switch over to digital, but it won't take much convincing. You'll be able to curl up with the latest issue of Popular Science (or, plucked from device storage or the Web, any issue we've published since the magazine debuted in 1872) in the same way and in the same places you do now, whether bed, beach or bathroom. It will be the same magazine, designed in a highly visual format to bring the future to life as vividly and comprehensibly as possible. Except it will be better, because we'll take advantage of the digital delivery medium to offer videos, more-abundant photo galleries, animated infographics and, in general, deeper content than we can fit into our pages today.
How do I know this? Because we're creating that multimedia magazine right now. In fact, you can see it for yourself in the form of our new "PopSci Genius Guide," a no-nonsense quarterly manual full of how-to advice, available for download or reading in your browser window at popsci.com/geniusguide; the first one tells you everything you need to know to set up the ultimate home-entertainment system. It's a magazine, but supercharged. I believe it's the future of publishing, and I hope you'll join us there.
Want the latest news on grown-up toys and gadgets, product reviews, sneak peeks, and more? Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
8 Comments
To comment, please Login.
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 2013: American Energy Independence
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.
Popular on Popsci
Most Commented
Gadgets
- Google Glass Isn't A Surveillance Device
- Drone-Vision Rifle Goes On Sale For $22K
- Would You Give This Company $250 For A Survivalist's E-Ink Android Tablet?
- BeerSci: A Pint That Fits In Your Pocket
- What We Know (And Think We Know) About The New Xbox
- The First Round Of Apps For Google Glass Is Here
- Google Should Include A Self-Destruct Button On Every Android Phone
- Internet-Enabled Laser Pointer Lets You Play With Your Pet From Anywhere In The World
- Oculus Rift Game Simulates What It's Like To Get Your Head Chopped Off. For Fun.
- The Goods: June 2013's Hottest Gadgets
Most Emailed
Gadgets
- What We Know (And Think We Know) About The New Xbox
- Drone-Vision Rifle Goes On Sale For $22K
- Internet-Enabled Laser Pointer Lets You Play With Your Pet From Anywhere In The World
- The First Round Of Apps For Google Glass Is Here
- Google Should Include A Self-Destruct Button On Every Android Phone
- BeerSci: A Pint That Fits In Your Pocket
- Would You Give This Company $250 For A Survivalist's E-Ink Android Tablet?
- The World's Smallest Arcade
- Oculus Rift Game Simulates What It's Like To Get Your Head Chopped Off. For Fun.
- Yes, This Exists: $1,000 Earbuds
Most Viewed
Gadgets
- What We Know (And Think We Know) About The New Xbox
- Drone-Vision Rifle Goes On Sale For $22K
- Internet-Enabled Laser Pointer Lets You Play With Your Pet From Anywhere In The World
- The First Round Of Apps For Google Glass Is Here
- Google Should Include A Self-Destruct Button On Every Android Phone
- BeerSci: A Pint That Fits In Your Pocket
- Would You Give This Company $250 For A Survivalist's E-Ink Android Tablet?
- The World's Smallest Arcade
- Oculus Rift Game Simulates What It's Like To Get Your Head Chopped Off. For Fun.
- Yes, This Exists: $1,000 Earbuds
Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email
Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2012 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
I looked at the sample and am underwhelmed. I think you may be missing some of the best digital magazine technology by signing with Zinio. Check out www.ceros.com and be prepared to be amazed!
I bought the actual genuis guide-- and found it was a lot cooler than the demo. So much is going on here, I'm curious to see what happens with this kind of stuff in the future.
We have the technology... but I don't see $500 "readers" catching on as a replacement for a $3 portable/disposable printed magazine.
I've done the zinio thing... but hauling a laptop room-to-room and dealing with Windows boot/wake times is a pain.
HOWEVER - I could see the current netbook type devices helping this technology FINALLY take off as they're near instant-on... which fits the magazine reader profile of someone who wants something to read while killing a few minutes.
Maybe the computer I'm using isn't the fastest (a fairly new MacBook), but when I turn a page, I expect to see what's there, not have to wait for it to load up. Keep the paper coming.
I was totally underwhelmed myself. Text lost in graphics. Poor quality graphics. Cursor that changes to the 'hand' but nothing selectable. Unclear navigation. No TOC for example. A digital magazine presented in a street magazine format.
Just a few of the many egregious error. It would have to be much better than this for me to part with my money and time for this. Certainly not even worth the effort to sign up for the fuller version. Did you pay someone to do this for you?
It may seem cruel commentary but it is what I see...
While I don't like to judge a book by its cover, id have to agree it was a pretty uninspiring, short demo of a product with lots of potential. One thing i've never really been to sure on though, isn't a dynamic, digital media publication with video and graphics a web page? I mean essentially what they're talking about using to view this "multimedia magazine" is a laptop of the future.
So... can anyone find the PPX on this site anymore?
I am a hopelessly addicted electronics JUNKIE and you know what? Even I don't want to read e-magazines.
Can you guess how much time an electronics junkie spends staring at computer screens each day? The correct answer is: A LOT. Would you guess an electronics junkie WANTS to spend as much time as possible staring at a monitor? If you guessed yes, then you'll be surprised to hear this one say HECK NO. When I sit down at a computer, I use it for the INTERACTIVE ELEMENT of internet surfing, links, search engines, and all the rest of the living cyber-universe. I don't want to sit if front of a computer to read a static magazine... that's like driving a Ferrari race car to the grocery store. Race cars are for driving very very fast, not for picking up groceries. By the same token, computers are not for reading magazines.
Nothing will ever compete with the lightweight, instantaneous, consistent convenience of a paper magazine. If for some reason POPSCI insisted on delivering the Genius Guide exclusively in electronic format for free, I probably won't read it very often. If for some brilliant reason POPSCI changed their minds and decided to offer the Genius Guide in paper print format in addition to an alternative online format, not only will I read it: I'LL PAY MONEY FOR IT.
Seriously, need anyone say more?