Newsstand gets more funds

$7.2 million, to be exact. The NYT continues to contribute. Newsstand's roster now totals 175 publications.
(From Paid Content)

No more "Classic" hardware from Apple

Apparently Apple have discontinued production of the PowerMac G4, the (I believe) only remaining machine that runs pre-OS X operating systems and therefore the only machine left that worked with QPS without having to use "Classic" emulation. In Slashdot the sixth post on the news argues that Apple have just "end-of-lifed a majority of newspapers' CMSs".
(From Slashdot)

Paper links to video-by-phone

Korean newspaper the Daily Focus has teamed up with mobile content provider Ico to link sports articles in the paper with rich-media sports news on people's mobile phones. Sports articles will contain a code which allows users to access video content on their phones "by simply holding the cellphone against the printed code" -- presumably using the phone's camera in the manner of the various barcode systems (c.f. this item).
(From E-Media Tidbits)

Brits versus Yanks

CJR has freed access to its timely re-hash of the old "objective vs subjective"/"American vs European" media debate, hot on the heels of the New York Times's admission that it was fooled over WMDs in Iraq.
(From Columbia Journalism Review)

UK and Ireland lead newspaper slump

Ho hum ... the UK newspaper market (traditionally regarded as "one of the most competitive") is slumping faster than the rest of Europe.
(From MediaGuardian.co.uk)

Times to relaunch tabloid

The Times is already planning a major relaunch of its tabloid edition, following an overall circulation boost of just 1% year on year (compared, for example, with the Indy's 20% growth). "Despite a heavy advertising campaign and price incentives to switch to the tabloid version, the majority of Times readers still favour the broadsheet and the costly experiment of publishing two versions has failed to provide the hoped for circulation boost." In the short term first-edition deadlines will be brought forward to 7.30pm to improve distribution.
(From MediaGuardian.co.uk)

NYT digital edition circulation

I've found it difficult to get reliable information about digital/aka electronic edition circulation figures, in particular those for the New York Times. If anyone knows a good source, please let me know! I did manage to spot these figures in a Seybold Report: Olive Software says ABCs from September 2003 show the NYT's electronic circulation as 3,172.
(From The Seybold Report)

Guardian digital edition "best in show" - Slate

Follow-up to Jack Shafer's review of digital editions (see below). The first review was largely negative, with Shafer reckoning that digital editions didn't "fit" well with screens, and that the software was "too rudimentary". Now he says "the electronic editions of Florida Today and the Guardian are changing my thinking. The future of newspapering might be closer than I thought". What makes these two satand out, he argues, is that they both handle context better than their rivals. He concludes: "If pressed to give a best-in-show award, I'd give the nod to the electronic Guardian for its superior, simple, and self-explanatory navigation. This is one electronic edition that doesn't need a user's manual. Printing stories, e-mailing them, displaying pages in PDF, and searching keywords are all very easy in the electronic Guardian. But Florida Today isn't far behind."
(From Slate)

Guardian Number 6 most linked to by bloggers

JD Lasica notes that at a presentation by David Sifry at Technorati Developers Salon a slide ranks media sites by the number of blog links to them as follows: 1, NYT; 2, CNN; 3, BBC, 4; Wash Post; 5, Slashdot; 6, The Guardian; 7, Plastic; 8, Suicide Girls; 8, Salon; 9, BoingBoing; 10, Instapundit; 11, Slate; 12, Fox; 13, SFGate; 14, Reuters; 15, Drudge Report; 16, MSNBC; 17, USA Today; 18, Talking Points; 19, Scripting News; 20, Metafiler; 21, Eschaton; 22, Kos; 23, Wil Wheaton. At first I thought, "cool, we're in the top 10". Then I thought, "blimey, the blogosphere is about an inch deep ... more of a disk really". Shame.
(From JD Lasica)

A new twist on flexible computing

Sony's Gummi project proposes a new way to interact with flexible computer displays: twisting. Move and re-shape the display to navigate its contents and to zoom in and out.
(From The Register)

Simply entangle a few photons ...

... and your CD capacity increases nine times.
(From New Scientist)

Warnock's advice for software companies ...

"Don't hire MBAs."
(From The Register)

Guardian "most obvious success" at online/offline

Article in netimperative: "The most obvious example of a successful offline/online publisher is the Guardian ... if the main aim of an offline title's new media operations is to support the brand, we find it hard to think of anything better ... Guardian Unlimited is often true to its name: it has the feel of backstage at the Guardian -- much of the content is irreverent commentary -- and the rest builds on the main title's strengths ... The 'backstage' content, in particular, is a winner since it taps in to the informal joy of the web communications age. The Internet is an organic information free-for-all of rumour, implication and opinion in which the normal rules somehow don't apply. Items such as its 'live' sports online commentaries and The Fiver ... nail this feeling perfectly, and at the same time enable content that, instead of compromising the offline title, actually supports it -- and builds further loyalty."
(From Paid Content)

NYT updates digital edition

The New York Times has introduced an enhanced version of its Newsstand "electronic edition". New features include copy and paste facilities, offline storage options and an expanded search.
(From Associated Press)

Slate on digital editions

Jack Shafer in Slate looks at three American digital editions and reckons they should be designed for the purpose - encapsulating the look and feel and a (perhaps enhanced) vocubulary of newspaper design, but formatted for the access medium (a computer screen). "Publishers shouldn't be frightened of cannibalizing the current print readership — they need to get there before the competition does."
(From Slate)