Hua Hin Observer now online only

[buksida]

Anyone taken a look at the new Observer website with its "Flipview" magazine style presentation?

The magazine is no more and the publication will be available online only from next month on. I must admit I do like the presentation and the feel of a mag on the screen, check it out here:

www.observergroup.net

These things will only become more popular with the increase in usage of small netbook laptops, tablet computers and e-readers - especially if Hua Hin really gets connected with 3G. Could the age of print be over?

[sandman67]

Could the age of print be over?

Nope. Its a sad day really - Ill miss having it about in the bars to read over an afternoon or early evening beer.

Im an e-reader fan, and own one now.... but reading stuff on a PC screen is no substitute, and phones are for making calls and sending texts, not reading mags or books.

Good luck to the guys at Observer tho, and hope this works out for you all



EDIT: Just looked at the flip site..... it sucks

faddy and gadgety - change it back to simple HTML coding please. This new format just looks naff and is annoying.

[STEVE G]

I think it will go that way pretty soon.
I've been reading the papers for some time now on-line and once you get used to it, it's great.
The price is much cheaper with a subscription as well and when you read on the porch the pages don't blow everywhere!

[Terry]

I think it will go that way pretty soon.
I've been reading the papers for some time now on-line and once you get used to it, it's great.
The price is much cheaper with a subscription as well and when you read on the porch the pages don't blow everywhere!

True Steve

BUT - just a thought

When you read on the porch - does your nice bright screen get covered in bugs?

[Randy Cornhole]

Just looked at the new flippy thing and I have to say I love it...

Then again I am running on 10meg broadband...

[STEVE G]

I think it will go that way pretty soon.
I've been reading the papers for some time now on-line and once you get used to it, it's great.
The price is much cheaper with a subscription as well and when you read on the porch the pages don't blow everywhere!

True Steve

BUT - just a thought

When you read on the porch - does your nice bright screen get covered in bugs?

Only in the evening!
Seriously though; if you move around a lot, an electronic subscription is much more useful than a physical one.
Where I'm working at the moment in Yeovil, you can't get any international papers at all.

[pharvey]

Yep, have to say I'm quite impressed with the "flippy thing" too.

Can certainly see both sides of this one though. Whilst being based in China and having to tracvel a fair bit, I do tend to read a great deal of the online newspapers etc..... There is however, as sandman says, no substitute for reading the real thing over a beer.

[caller]

Its not for me I'm afraid and I really don't like the thing you have to use to scroll down the page.

The thing about a paper magazine is the ability to 'flip' through it at first glance, on-line, you have to wait for the flipped pages to load. I gave up.

But there is little of interest there for me in any case, so it makes no odds.

[JimmyGreaves]

It's a load of crap, Looks just like a fancy pdf file. Crashed firefox 2 out of 5 times, webpages are far slicker when done correctly

[pharvey]

Seems like a few in HH are not lucky enough to have the download speed that I have in Chongqing (China).... which I have to admit is stunning! I bitch about speed here constantly, and whilst in HH over Christmas thought the broadband connection was spot on - and far quicker than mine here.

JG - I'm also using Firefox..... Zero problems, perhaps again the download/upload speed?

Regardless though........ I still have to say the "proper job" (i.e. paper) is second to none when talking newspapers....... I have for years and still do miss my Sunday paper, read thoroughly front-back-front whilst consuming several pints of cider.

[Randy Cornhole]

Dont have the paper option here in England so the flippy is fine...

I also used to notice a lot of the photos were missing from the online version but were in the paper version and I likes to look at piccys...

[Big Boy]

[margaretcarnes]

The flippy thing loaded immediately on many pages. Some delay with a few, but nothing major.
I'll miss the real thing, and do think it will be a loss to tourists as well, who maybe don't travel with netbooks/Blackberries. In the old days many would have taken a copy home and spread the word.
What will annoy me most I think is having to zoom all the time, and not being able to fill in the sudoku without a printer handy! But on the plus side maybe there will be more scope to increase the content. Maybe regain the sports pages and map?
It will be a shame though if expats can't easily flip due to their internet speeds, especially as expats were the main audience in the first place.

[Governor]

Like others I do like to read the paper version to kill a bit of time but I suppose there is a cost issue for the publishers, they will no doubt have their business model.

As Randy says it's ideal for those who cannot access the paper copy.

Many newspapers offer this service, I get the full e-edition of the London Evening Standard delivered to my inbox every day, and best of all it's free. My e-edition of The Daily Mail, the same one that costs about 200 Baht a copy printed in town, costs me £50 a year.

[tj]

dont think this will be well recieved by most as too slow to load and not very user freindly. Time will tell but dont think the oserver will be around much longer if only using this format