• by Erik Sass , November 15, 2011

The new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer from Research in Motion will offer users a shortcut to digital newspaper content courtesy of PressReader, an app created by NewspaperDirect, which will come preinstalled on every PlayBook sold.

The PressReader app gives PlayBook owners access to digital replica editions of over 2,000 newspapers from scores of countries around the world, including The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Jose Mercury News, The Daily Mail, The International Herald Tribune, The Irish Times, La Presse, La Tribune, Le Monde, The Australian, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail.

Digital replicas of most newspapers available on PressReader will be available for $0.99 per issue. Users can also buy a subscription to PressReader on PressDisplay.com, which will allow them unlimited access to their favorite newspapers for $29.95 per month. PressReader is also available for download on the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android smartphones and tablets and Windows 7 tablets and e-readers.

Also this week, Conde Nast announced that it will be making digital editions of all its magazines available on the new Nook Tablet and Nook Color e-reader devices from Barnes & Noble. Most of the company’s publications will be available by the end of this month, including Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appetit, Brides, Conde Nast Traveler, Details, Glamour, Golf Digest, Golf World, GQ, Lucky, Self, Teen Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, W, and Wired. Vogue will become available in the early part of next year. Readers can choose between single-copy sales and monthly subscription options.

These are just the latest in a flurry of tablet-related developments, as publishers and advertisers follow consumers to the popular new digital platform. Last week, Mediaspace Solutions unveiled a new Tablet Network which aggregates 161 newspaper and magazine tablet apps, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Denver Post, Dallas Morning News, USA Today, O The Oprah Magazine, Country Living, Popular Mechanics, Better Homes and Gardens, Fitness Magazine, National Geographic, Prevention, Reader's Digest, and Time. 

The surge of consumer interest in tablets and e-readers has inspired a wealth of research in the evolving market. In July, Conde Nast and Adobe unveiled a joint effort to define and deliver a new set of audience metrics for publishers and advertisers. GFk MRI is also measuring cross-platform magazine readership -- including digital platforms like Web sites, digital editions received via email, smartphone apps, e-readers and tablets -- through new questions added to the in-person, in-home surveys of adults ages 18 and older.