PSP (PlayStation Portable) owners are finding another use for the handheld device now that various magazines are publishing content strictly in PSP and online format.
Joelle Caputa is the editor in chief of Planet Verge magazine. The magazine changed its entire business plan by going from a print to a PSP- and online-only magazine in January 2006. Now, the magazine is released monthly online where users can download it to PSPs.
As more people make the switch from reading print news to online news, the traditional media outlets are beginning to suffer, Caputa said. This is one reason other magazines may choose to follow the same route as Planet Verge.
The potential, Managing Editor Jennifer Sica said, is in the accessibility to fans.
"Having the magazine available for PSP allows Planet Verge to reach a wider age demographic and expand our geographic outreach," Sica said.
Being on PSP also changes the type and amount of content that is developed for the magazine.
"For one thing," Caputa said, "we are not limited to the number of articles we run, because we don't have to worry about the cost of pages to print."
Sica said the change to PSP helped to broaden the audience. Portability through handhelds, she said, is a key factor for many people in this age of technology.
"We have entered into an age where portability is vital, and handheld devices allow information to be mobile," Sica said.
Planet Verge is not the only magazine available on PSP. PSPMagazines.com offers a wide range of magazines from WIRED to Maxim. Still, Caputa said she believes it will be a while before all magazines make the switch from a print format.
"I think it will take a really long time for [a complete switch] to happen," she said. "No matter what, people still like to hold actual magazines in their hands."
Only time will show whether the trend of handheld digital magazines catches on, but as younger generations grow into powerful spending groups, technologically advanced magazines could have an edge on those that stick to traditional outlets.
"Handheld devices lend themselves to having a 'cool factor,'" Sica said. "The younger the generation, the more it seems to be hip to be portable."
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