Newsletter
Large- and small-scale mobile publishing
No more rustling of paper, hauling publications around, or struggling with unwieldy formats – in the world of mobile devices, things have become more convenient, and you can now read newspapers and even books in comfort on a tablet PC. However, programming mobile pages in the form of apps has been a complicated and expensive business up to now, because each app has had to be programmed separately for each mobile platform. This situation is now changing dramatically: Deutsche Post recently launched a new publishing service software called ContentConverter, which automatically converts editorial content to a mobile-friendly format.
“Whether for smart phones or tablet PCs operating on the Apple or Android platforms, modifying content pages for mobile end devices is a complex task, one for which we have now found a solution with the ContentConverter,” explains Lutz Glandt, member of the divisional board of Mail Germany at Deutsche Post, DHL Group, and head of its Press Services division.
The division developed the new business model with the help of mobile experts from GFT, who then implemented the technical solution: a content converter to transfer print products to mobile terminals. “With the ContentConverter, we have succeeded in doing something that seemed impossible before now,” emphasises Ulrich Dietz, CEO of GFT Technologies AG. “We have created an automatic process that adapts the layout of a print version quickly and efficiently to the particular terminal, while at the same time integrating a convenient payment solution.”
The ContentConverter went live in the first week of December this year. Since then, the “vorwärts” publishing house in Berlin has been providing its readers with content also as an app. While the process that precedes this varies from publisher to publisher, depending on the editorial system and the IT equipment, the end result is always the same: an app that reproduces magazine content for mobile devices in the usual convenient form.
Once the service has been established at the publisher by means of a particular set-up process, there are only a few more stages to the app itself: The postal service provider transfers the data from the publisher to a server in its computer center. There, the ContentConverter transforms the content information into mobile pages, using the publication’s design, and with the look and feel of the particular user interface, before releasing the app for mobile use.
Behind this simple sequence is the idea of standardising the process of layout and design conversion with the aid of rules, styles, and templates so that it runs automatically. The challenge here for developers was to cover each form of content output on a mobile terminal, irrespective of whether the user has the app on a smart phone or a tablet PC, and no matter what font is set or which format is selected.
In addition to the smart layout, our experts have developed functions that make the mobile content service from a publisher even more attractive compared to the print versions: For example, multimedia content such as 360-degree panorama images or photo galleries can be incorporated into the app. In future, it will also be possible to integrate social media functions such as comments and specific search requests. Likewise in the pipeline are innovative mobile display solutions and a comprehensive AppStore model that makes it possible to download magazine or newsletter apps from different stores.
“Whether for smart phones or tablet PCs operating on the Apple or Android platforms, modifying content pages for mobile end devices is a complex task, one for which we have now found a solution with the ContentConverter,” explains Lutz Glandt, member of the divisional board of Mail Germany at Deutsche Post, DHL Group, and head of its Press Services division.
The division developed the new business model with the help of mobile experts from GFT, who then implemented the technical solution: a content converter to transfer print products to mobile terminals. “With the ContentConverter, we have succeeded in doing something that seemed impossible before now,” emphasises Ulrich Dietz, CEO of GFT Technologies AG. “We have created an automatic process that adapts the layout of a print version quickly and efficiently to the particular terminal, while at the same time integrating a convenient payment solution.”
The ContentConverter went live in the first week of December this year. Since then, the “vorwärts” publishing house in Berlin has been providing its readers with content also as an app. While the process that precedes this varies from publisher to publisher, depending on the editorial system and the IT equipment, the end result is always the same: an app that reproduces magazine content for mobile devices in the usual convenient form.
Once the service has been established at the publisher by means of a particular set-up process, there are only a few more stages to the app itself: The postal service provider transfers the data from the publisher to a server in its computer center. There, the ContentConverter transforms the content information into mobile pages, using the publication’s design, and with the look and feel of the particular user interface, before releasing the app for mobile use.
Behind this simple sequence is the idea of standardising the process of layout and design conversion with the aid of rules, styles, and templates so that it runs automatically. The challenge here for developers was to cover each form of content output on a mobile terminal, irrespective of whether the user has the app on a smart phone or a tablet PC, and no matter what font is set or which format is selected.
In addition to the smart layout, our experts have developed functions that make the mobile content service from a publisher even more attractive compared to the print versions: For example, multimedia content such as 360-degree panorama images or photo galleries can be incorporated into the app. In future, it will also be possible to integrate social media functions such as comments and specific search requests. Likewise in the pipeline are innovative mobile display solutions and a comprehensive AppStore model that makes it possible to download magazine or newsletter apps from different stores.
© GFT AG