The beta of “Times Reader” — the result of Microsoft’s collaboration with the New York Times is live — and, true to form, it’s limited to users of Windows XP and registered users of NYTimes.com. Richard MacManus reported the beta first and has screenshots and a lot of the technical details. (I’ve posted a set of our own screengrabs.) I’ve confirmed with the Times that it’s an open beta from the start although invites are going out in small batches now. The first 2,500 went out this afternoon. The reader and content mirror NYTimes.com for now: free with the exception of subscription-only TimesSelect.  I’m told the decision has yet to be made whether that will be the case when it launches officially in 2007. (Then again, the fine print in the MSFT beta contains the following:  “We also may not release a commercial version.”)
Some of us have been down a similar road before with the Times. When I wrote about the NewsStand Electronic Edition back in early 2002 for OJR, it had 3,000 paying subscribers, slow to load, was limited to IE users, came with an expiration date and could only be viewed on one computer per account. It was a readable digital facsimile of the paper that came in handy for me on a few occasions.  Unlike some of my colleagues and friends, I like the idea of a digital edition that isn’t live-web dependent.
Back in early 2004, hopes were that the E Edition, which counts as paid circulation, would hit 20,000 subscribers by the end of the year. Today it has 5,676 daily subs and 4,912 Sunday. The changing nature of web software and delivery speeds makes it possible that this version could surpass those numbers within weeks. Is it a solution? That probably depends on whether you think the lack of a good portable digital edition is a problem.
I have a lot more looking to do but some notes from my first look:
- Downloading the app requires registration, even if you’re already a registered user of NYTimes.com, but the site log-in info is used to access Times Reader’s content. It requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (I’m getting really tired of the requirement to install variations of .NET). The software is owned by Microsoft and licensed to users through NYTCO.
- I ran into some glitches after that with log-ins and syncing. I finally got it — a reboot may have helped — and so far can report it was worth the effort. — The first sync takes the longest but content is almost instantly viewable. The settings can be adjusted for updates and a time for daily syncing can be set. It’s completely cached for offline use.
- It’s the look and feel of the NYT with all sorts of digital extras, a balance between the Times online and off. Yes, it includes ads. It’s easy to scroll through sections fronts, through stories and through sections.
- One neat trick: “What’s read” shows all of the stories in the edition or the section represented as boxes with a grayed-out box designating where you’ve been and an arrow showing where you are now. Hover over any box and you can see headline, byline, and in the case of columnists and obits, pictures.
- Keyword search brings up options for views by list or relevance and a topic explorer that renders graphical images of connections between the search term and other stories or subjects.
Related:  Microsoft’s E-Editions Software; NYT’s Edition