A look at what publishers are launching in mobile apps.

Application: TopGear Magazine Produced By: BBC Worldwide LTD Price: Free, within-app purchase options Platform: iPad Fans of the show Top Gear will be excited to know that there is a new, enhanced version of TopGear magazine for the iPad. The BBC show about motor vehicles is, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the world's most widely watched factual television program, and TopGear magazine is the UK's best-selling car magazine, delivering motoring news and views from across the globe every month. The upgrade brings a fully-interactive blend of information and entertainment, road tests, reviews, price guides and motor sport to the iPad. "We know that the Top Gear audience is used to seeing and hearing cars and it's great to be able to provide video content that is on a par with their expectations," Simon Carrington, publisher of TopGear magazine, says in a press release. "In the current media climate it's important that Top Gear can provide existing and new readers the chance to access the fantastic content that TopGear magazine generates every month." Click here to read this story in our digital edition, or download the Publishing Executive iOS app to get free access to all our great magazine content on your tablet. The app is a major upgrade from the previous iPad version, a static PDF of the print edition. "The new version is now fully interactive with video, sound and more images," Tom Townsend-Smith, marketing manager of TopGear magazine, says. "It allows readers to select what they want to read with interactive content selectors. The editorial features have hidden extras, more images and animated sections. There is more content, as we can fit more on the iPad than in the print product. So really it has more depth in terms of visual assets, and more entertainment." The app will help Top Gear reach a global audience, as well as expand its reach beyond its core readership of 30 to 40 year-old males, Townsend-Smith says. "We're aiming it at our regular Top Gear fans ... but we're also looking to hit iPad users who love their technology and might not have seen such a good magazine product on iPad yet," he tells Publishing Executive. The fully enhanced iPad edition features HD video, HD photo galleries giving car crazies the chance to drool over their favorite supercar from every angle, live FaceBook and Twitter feeds, hidden content and interactive reviews and buyer's guides, giving readers information on all new autos sold today. The TopGear Magazine App is available for free from iPad's newsstand or on iTunes. Six-month ($20.99) and 12-month ($35.99) subscriptions are available via in-app purchase; individual issues are $4.99. Application: Assets Digital Produced By: UCLA Anderson School of Management Price: Free Platform: iPad When the UCLA Anderson School of Management redesigned its digital magazine, it decided to make a statement. The school launched an app, Assets Digital, becoming the first interactive business school alumni magazine designed exclusively as an iPad application. "Earlier this year, the school made a decision to take the UCLA Anderson alumni publication entirely online," Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., the school's senior associate dean, tells Publishing Executive. "We did that for a number of reasons—most importantly because of the exciting technological offerings in the digital space and the potential to reach a broader audience. We looked at a number of digital platforms, but ultimately decided to develop an iPad app because we wanted to give users the most enhanced and interactive experience possible, and iPad still dominates the tablet market." The app offers real-time Twitter feeds and an up-to-the-minute calendar of events; original video, photography, interviews and animated illustration; interactive maps; and an Alumni Hub screen that includes video, Web links and access to social networks where alumni can connect. The magazine does not skimp on content, incorporating the work of award-winning designers and contributing writers with C.V.s that include Bloomberg Businessweek and The New York Times, according to a press release. "Our audience is a group of savvy business leaders who are constantly on the go. The platform allows great flexibility to catch up on news wherever and whenever they want. We also took great care in curating the stories in the editorial lineup," Osborne says. The school plans to publish Access Digital three times a year. "We are also interested in exploring advertising if we can find a way to weave it in without interrupting the user experience," Osborne adds. "We ultimately want to create the best experience possible, so we see the content becoming even more engaging in future issues." Assets Digital is available for free download from the App Store. For non-iPad users, content has been adapted for the Web, with a customized mobile version that is formatted for all other mobile devices and standard Web browsers. - Wanfei Wu and James Sturdivant

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A look at what publishers are launching in mobile apps.

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