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Times Reader 2.0, is an Adobe Air-powered (and therefore cross-platform) application that allows subscribers of the New York Times to read an electronic version of the newspaper on their Windows, Mac, or Linux-based devices for no additional cost. I’ll be reviewing the application on both Windows 7 and on Linux, using a netbook for Windows and a desktop for Linux. I will discuss installation, first impressions, several aspects of user experience, and value (it is a paid service, after all!).

The Times Reader 2.0 is an Adobe Air application, which means that you need to install the Adobe Air platform in order to use it. The netbook, running Windows 7, came preinstalled with Air (and, in fact, also with the Times Reader software). Linux, however, obviously needed to have Air installed manually, before I could install the Times Reader application. When you go to the Times Reader website, a flash applet will load and automatically launch the Air installer. You’ll need your root password to install it, of course.

Installing the Times Reader in Linux

Once Air is installed, the applet will automatically trigger the installation of the Times Reader program. I did not encounter any issues installing it on Fedora 13 using this method, and everything was installed in the /opt directory.

The first time you launch the program, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by its look and feel. The only complaint I have is that the Reader feels a bit cramped on my netbook. It seems that the program was not designed to be used on the 10.1″ that is common on many netbooks. When connected to the internet, the application will display banner ads (so far, I have only seen ads for NY Times products), and these ads take up enough space on the screen to make it feel like there isn’t much ligitimate content on the screen, as well as to considerably lengthen the number of page-flips required to get through an article.

For comparison, here are some screenshots showing the Reader with and without advertisements (the advertisements do not show up in offline mode):

The Times Reader has a beautiful interface...

...but the advertisements cram everything in if you are on a netbook.

Once you get past the sizing issues, or if you just aren’t using the Reader on a netbook, the interface is intuitive and easy to use, with a navigation menu on the left-hand side presenting buttons for each of the New York Times’ paper sections. Readers of the traditional hard-copy will feel right at home, and I find that I look forward to seeing the Science Times link pop up in the Reader as much as I used to await the Tuesday morning delivery for that section (which brings up another advantage of the Reader software: I don’t have to wait for a late paper, and I don’t have to go outside in the cold to retrieve it from the sidewalk).

In addition to the sections that hard-copy readers are used to, there are additional sections only available in the Reader: Most Emailed, News in Video, News in Pictures, and Latest News. Admittedly, I don’t often use these sections; at most, I’ll load the Latest News section once or twice a week at the end of the day to see if anything major happened that I missed.

Tthe Reader will automatically store 7 days of content; that, along with a search function, lets you easily find things you remember reading previously, or locate specific stories you’re interested in:

I don't think your hard copy comes with a search feature...

Ultimately, the user interface for the Times Reader 2.0 is very well done, and it has a polished feel to it, providing an intuitive, comfortable interface that shows you what content is available without getting in the way. However, the Reader definitely gets points off for not performing perfectly on the netbook, especially since it came pre-installed on my HP Mini. This tells me that either they tested it, noticed the problems, and decided to accept the shortcomings, or that it wasn’t tested at all. Either way, since the netbook will be my primary platform for the Reader, I simply wish it fit better on the screen.

Once you get past the novelty of reading the newspaper via an application on your computer, it all comes down to how well the application presents the content, and the Times Reader 2.0 does this very well. As I discussed in the User Interface section, the reader presents a simple navigation panel, showing the sections from the day’s paper. The dominant right-hand panel is dedicated to displaying the current story, or summaries of the highlighted section.

You don’t appear to lose any content when going from the physical version of the paper to the Reader. In fact, I very often see notes at the end of articles that the version delivered to my Times Reader contains content not in the print version. With the Reader application, there’s no space limitation, so editors likely have more freedom to make articles complete, as opposed to making articles fit.

The Reader experience will largely depend on how comfortable you are reading lots of text, for a sustained period of time, on your computer screen. Personally, I don’t have a problem reading the entire paper on my netbook’s display; but if you find it difficult to read long passages on-screen, the Reader may not be for you.

No review of the New York Times Reader would be complete without atleast mentioning the Crossword. I personally don’t usually do the crossword puzzles, but the Times Reader’s implementation is actually very well done.

A great interface, but the Advertisement cuts off the puzzle!

Again I have the recurring complaint that the application does not fit perfectly on my netbook, which resutls in the bottom section of the crossword being cut off (you can scroll to it). Aside from that, the Reader’s version of the crossword has several benifits as compared to the traditional version, including “Reveal” and “Check” buttons that become accessable 60 minutes after you begin. Like the rest of the features of the application, you can revisit any crossword downloaded in the past 7 days, and print to hard copy should you have the need (or want to share).

This all being said, I personally find that the Reader application is far more convenient than the traditional paper version. Having the electronic delivery makes the paper available from the moment I wake up to 7 days later, and it means that the newspaper is always with me (as long as I have my netbook).

One thing that shocks me is the price; as of this article, the Reader is available (on its own, with no home delivery option) for $3.45 a week. For subscribers who already recieve home delivery, the Reader is completely free. Personally, I feel that these prices are actually too low, and that the New York Times is pricing the Reader service below its value.

Once you use the Times Reader for a few days, reading the digital copy becomes almost as second-nature as flipping through a physical newspaper. People who enjoy the experience of newspapers — peeling out each section, folding and unfolding the broadsheet — won’t find that experience replicated here; but those who want to get their daily dose of news available on-demand will find that the Reader is an excellent tool, that may even replace the paper at their breakfast table.

Ultimately, the Times Reader 2.0 has, for me, replaced home delivery as method getting the daily paper.