Publisher Guardian News and Media is continuing its push for multiplatform mobile content with an iPad app that replicates the leisurely act of reading a newspaper.

According to The Guardian, mobile makes up 12 percent of the publisher?s traffic. The app is launching with British broadcast network Channel 4 as the sponsor, giving all users three months of free access.

?The Guardian has a two-prong mobile strategy that involves both apps and the mobile Web,? said Steve Wing, head of digital marketing at The Guardian, London.

?The goal is to give everyone a good experience regardless of what device they are on,? he said.

Paperless daily
After the first three months, The Guardian iPad edition app will cost subscribers approximately $16 a month.

Advertisements are baked into pages and expand when tapped on.

Unlike The Guardian?s other mobile offerings, the app is not focused on breaking news and is intended to be read like a daily newspaper.

The app is updated daily and includes the Monday through Saturday editions of the print newspaper.

Additionally, the app archives up to one month?s editions of the newspaper.

The app contains content from the main section of the newspaper, including media, education, society and film and music sections.

Similar to a newspaper, articles are shaped like a grid.

Stories are sized differently depending on their importance.

This is a page from The Guardian iPad edition app

?We had to completely rethink and redesign what reading a newspaper should be like on a tablet with this app,? Mr. Wing said.

?People use iPads at home, so they are more of a portable device than a mobile device and we wanted to replicate that with the app,? he said.

The Guardian iPad edition is also available on Apple?s Newsstand, which is part of the upgraded Apple iOS 5 features.

Digital readers

In addition to the iPad, the publisher also has apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows 7, Nokia and HP devices.

According to Mr. Wing, the publisher?s mobile site ? m.guardian.com ? brings in 7 million unique visitors monthly.

The publisher recently partnered with Apple?s iAd network to upgrade iPhone and iPod touch apps (see story).

By offering a variety of different products, The Guardian is able to expand its reach to consumers on any mobile platform.

The publisher also offers apps that are for specific users.

For example, The Guardian Eyewitness iPad app focuses its content on breaking news articles from The Guardian.

?By using both subscriptions models and free models, we hope to change how The Guardian gets content to people when and where they want it,? Mr. Wing said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York