The Financial Times has today launched a new, faster and automatically updating app available directly through a web browser at app.ft.com. The FT is the first major news publisher to launch an app of this type, which will allow readers to access its award-winning journalism easily and quickly across a broad range of tablet and smartphone devices. As part of the launch, the new FT Web App will provide free access to FT content during launch week.

The FT Web App, built using HTML5 technology, features continual and automatic content downloads and improvements. It ensures that FT customers can access FT content anytime, anywhere, on a PC and multiple devices, with one login and one subscription payment.

“This is our best app yet, and it is an important step in our strategy of providing multi-channel access to our global journalism quickly and simply,” said John Ridding, CEO of the Financial Times. “The FT Web App offers our customers flexibility and freedom of choice with access to our global journalism anytime, anywhere, with a single login or subscription. In a world of increasingly digital complexity we want to keep our service simple, easy to use and efficient to offer our customers the best possible experience of FT journalism.”

The FT Web App will offer readers a number of new benefits at launch, including:

  • Reading offline – saving a shortcut to your home screen so you can read it offline, at any time, just like one of our existing apps
  • Web browser access – no download needed
  • All access – one registration or subscription will offer customers access to FT content through a range of devices or on a PC
  • Speed – the new app offers improved performance
  • Automatic updates – instant product improvements with no need to download new versions of the app
  • Specific to smartphones – a completely new and improved design, inclusion of images and FT video content, a new currency converter
  • Specific to tablets – new content from FT Blogs

Further updates in the pipeline include the inclusion of more world class FT content, including more columnists, FT Blogs, Special Reports and illustrative graphics; and a new ‘Clippings’ service which will allow users to read articles later, either on their tablet or on their desktop PC once they get to work.

The new FT Web App has initially been optimised for the iPad and iPhone, but will also be adapted across growing number of other tablets. These include Android-based devices such as the Samsung Galaxy range and Motorola Xoom, as well devices such as the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The Financial Times model allows users to access ten free articles a month, across any device, after a free registration. A subscription is needed to access more than ten articles a month. Users will need to register to access free FT content during the week of launch.

More information about the FT Web App can be found at: www.ft.com/ftapp

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