• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, January 10, 2012

News Corp.’s heavily promoted and well-funded iPad-only news app The Daily is not iPad-only much longer. In a deal with Verizon Wireless, the subscription service will come pre-loaded on select Android-powered devices from Verizon. Current and new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners with Verizon will get the app pushed to their devices in a software update, while the upcoming Galaxy Tab 7.7 will host the app on its home screen. Users still have to pay for the daily. Verizon customers get a free trial week and then can buy monthly ($3.99) or annual ($39.99) subs.

Verizon Wireless was an early sponsor of the app when it launched last year on the iPad. The company did not say explicitly that a wider rollout to other Android devices was forthcoming. But in his statement about the deal, Greg Clayman, publisher of The Daily, said: “We’re thrilled to be available to Android customers as we continue to expand and grow throughout the mobile space.”

The Daily was the first tablet-only news publication to enjoy a large dedicated staff and significant investment from a major media company. Despite an early tepid response from both critics and readers, the app has become one of the top-grossing downloads in the Apple App Store. Clayman told AdAge in October that the title had attracted 80,000 paid subscribers and had 120,000 active users.

The bundling of The Daily with the Verizon devices reflects a trend that is apparent throughout this week of technology announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show. Gadget makers are partnering up with media companies in order to differentiate their technology in a device-cluttered field. Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble announced that new subscribers to People magazine and NYTimes digital editions would get deep discounts on a range of Nook devices. Verizon Wireless also announced that it would be bundling a new Slacker Radio app for Android tablets with its devices.