App Review – Next Issue

Pleasure reading on the road has always been one of my guilty pleasures.  Before electronic devices were allowed during taxi, takeoff, and landing, I often hauled my personal stash of magazines with me for those periods of time when everything was powered down.  Books were often to heavy for the short duration but magazines helped me enjoy some pleasure reading.  But then the electronics policies switched and it seemed silly to haul around heavy magazines.  Next Issue was the perfect solution.

Next Issue brings together magazines from many major publishing houses including Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corporation, Time, and Rogers in one application.  Magazines are digitally enabled and many publishers include enhanced content.

I have found that most magazines are easier to read on Next Issue – articles are continuously linked so there is no flipping back and forth to continue long articles in publications like Vanity Fair.  As well, many monthlies like InStyle are adding optimized content to make it easier to flip through multipage spreads on one screen.  Some publications include direct links or video content to enhance existing print content.

And yes, the ads are still there (after all, what would the fall issue of Vogue be without all the glorious ads?!)

Issues can be deleted once they are read to free up space.  And many publications have 1-2 years of back content archived now –  a plus when I want to go back and re-read a destination article from one of my favorite travel magazines or find a recipe in one of several cooking magazines I read.

One of my favorite benefits of Next Issue is that I can download a magazine just to read a single article.  No more $5.95 single issue purchases or standing awkwardly at an airport news rack trying to decide whether I want to purchase a particular issue.  And I can even download guilty pleasure magazines just for the fun of it – bridal magazine binge?  Yes!

A downside of the app is that content is fairly hefty to download.  I use my WiFi connection as this could otherwise completely shred a data package.  That means sometimes leaving it plugged in and downloading issues overnight while I sleep.  One can manually manage capacity for the app to determine how much space is taken by downloads.  New downloads will displace older ones if those settings are exceeded.

An unlimited basic plan is $9.99 per month and includes 131 monthly magazines.  Or upgrade to the unlimited premium plan for $14,99 a month and receive 142 magazines (the monthlies included in the basic plan plus popular weeklies such as People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, and The New Yorker).

This app is a definite win for me – I’ve subscribed for over a year since discovering it and now there is no turning back – my print subscriptions are all cancelled.

Next Issue is available for iPads, iPhones, Android (and compatible) tablets, and Windows 8 PCs and tablets.

Right now Next Issue is running a promotion for a 60 day free trial – a great way to try this out and see how you like it.  (disclosure – I receive a gift card if you decide to sign up for a paid subscription after your 60 days ends)