The app will be pre-installed on Samsung Windows 8PCs such as Smart PC, Smart PC Pro and All in One PC in the UK, plus VAIO devices from Sony in the UK and EU.
Access to FT content will be free via the app for the first month from launch, following which it will be integrated into the FT.com access model where once users have registered, they are able to sample FT content before subscribing.
FT.com Managing Director Rob Grimshaw (pictured) said: “Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving 25% of traffic and 15% of subscriptions to FT.com. The FT Windows 8 App is the next phase in our mobile development, offering FT content to the millions of people who use this platform every day. It extends the FT mobile footprint across all three major tablet platforms: Windows, Apple and Android and ensures we offer readers the choice of reading FT content anytime, anywhere and on whichever device they choose.”
FT Labs Director Andrew Betts said: “The FT Windows 8 App has been built using a hybrid of HTML5 and native technology. The same core code base is used to power the FT app across phone, tablet and desktop devices and in this case has been combined with the best elements from Windows to create a great experience for users.”
According to the FT, key features of the app include:
• Comprehensive content – access to a wide range of FT content, including blogs, graphics and video.
• Automatic updates– instant improvements and content updates without having to download a new version.
• Offline access – content automatically updates and stores content to read offline.
• Navigation – optimised for devices running Windows 8, including the ability to have the FT app running in part of your screen alongside other programmes.
• Live tile – get the latest FT headlines on your desktop.
• Design – design optimised to work across a range of devices running Windows 8.
• All access – one registration or subscription will offer customers access to FT content through a range of mobile devices or on a PC.
The FT is also launching a Windows 8 App for FT Chinese. The app is free to download from the Windows Store, after which users must register to read FT Chinese content. FT Chinese provides news and information, giving readers a global perspective with a local flavour, and now has more than 1.8 million registered users.
The FT and FT Chinese Windows 8 Apps are the latest in the FT’s suite of mobile apps, which includes the FT Web App, winner of a Global Mobile Award for Innovation in Publishing and the 2012 Meffy Award for Best Publisher on Mobile, an FT Android App, India App, HTSI iPad App and FT Chinese MBA App. The FT says it has seen a sharp rise in mobile users, up 133% on smart phones and 111% on tablets year on year (ADGA May 2012).
