The Straits Times has launched a new mobile app that will deliver the newspaper's brand of journalism in an exciting interactive and multimedia format.
The Straits Times Star (ST Star) app for iPad and Android devices will be home to a collection of digital publications.
The app debuts with The Life magazine, a monthly digital offering packed with articles on style, design, pursuits, travel and food.
"Our readers are looking for interesting content to sit back and enjoy on their mobile devices," said Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez.
"Our newsroom has been gearing up to meet this need, finding new ways to tell great stories in words, pictures, videos. Our aim is to make the most of what we can do on each platform that we serve readers on."
The cover story of The Life magazine's launch issue is an exclusive interview with Louis Vuitton's artistic director Nicolas Ghesquiere, accompanied by a video of his debut collection for Louis Vuitton, the Fall 2014 line, and a photo spread of the Cruise collection.
ST food critic Wong Ah Yoke also reveals Michelin-starred meals under $50 in Hong Kong, using videos and interactive photo galleries. There are also stories about vintage collectors' prized clothing and jewellery items, and videos of them showing off their pieces.
Said associate editor Sumiko Tan, who heads the ST Digital team: "Our approach in ST Star is to reimagine storytelling. The digital space allows us to create beautiful, exciting experiences for our readers and we hope they will join us in this journey."
Apart from The Life magazine, the ST Star app will contain e-books for a relaxed, lean-back reading experience on tablets.
Out soon will be 100 Hot Bods, an e-book featuring some of the most impressive physiques from the popular Sunday Times Hot Bods series.
Also in the works are a guide to beauty and style tips, as well as travel and home decor guides.
The e-publications in the app are designed for tablets and optimised for the iPad.
The first issue of The Life magazine and 100 Hot Bods will be free to download. Thereafter, The Life magazine will be available first to Straits Times All-In-One subscribers. Subscribers to the All-In-One package get full and unlimited access to all the contents in the ST Star app.
The ST Star app is an extension of the paper's Straits Times Appreciates Readers (Star) programme, an ongoing effort to reach out to readers and the community.
The new app is a pivotal step into digital publishing for The Straits Times, which has in recent months updated its website - straitstimes.com - and launched Web Special stories exclusive to the digital platform.
In April, the ST Digital team, which produces the website and content for the newspaper's mobile apps, also ventured into long-form multimedia storytelling with Lost: Untold Stories Of Malaysia Airlines MH370.
Win 2 business-class tickets to HK and 2-night stay at a 5-star hotel
Download The Life magazine in the new Straits Times Star (ST Star) app and you could be jetting off in style to Hong Kong.
One reader will win two business-class air tickets on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong as well as a two-night stay in a five-star hotel there.
For a chance to win, please do this:
Go to the Apple App Store or Google Play. Download the ST Star app (search "Straits Times Star"). Once you are in the ST Star app, download The Life magazine Issue 1, which you will find in the app. Read food critic Wong Ah Yoke's multimedia story on Michelin-starred meals for under $50 in Hong Kong. Look for the question in the contest page after Wong Ah Yoke's story.
E-mail your answer to digitalmktg@sph.com.sg using the header "Hong Kong Contest".
Two other readers will each win $1,000 worth of shopping vouchers.
The contest closes on July 20 and winners will be informed via e-mail. Read the contest details and terms and conditions in The Life magazine.
The Life debuts with two firsts
For its debut issue, The Life magazine has scored two firsts.
For starters, it is the first monthly e-magazine from The Straits Times.
It is also the first publication in Asia to have landed an exclusive one-on-one interview with fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere since he took over from Marc Jacobs as artistic director of French luxury house Louis Vuitton. The Life interviewed him last month during his Cruise 2015 presentation in Monaco about how he plans to take the brand to the next level.
"The idea of The Life is to give readers a taste of the good life, as seen through the eyes of taste-makers such as Nicolas Ghesquiere, newsmakers who appreciate the finer things in life, and our team of writers who seek out the best in travel, food, design and style," says Ms Elisabeth Gwee, Life! deputy editor and The Life editor.
The e-magazine is a separate product from the regular Life! section, and will be launched every last Friday of the month.
It is divided into five sections - Style, Pursuits, Travel, Food and Design.
To make stories come alive for readers, interactive elements such as videos, pop-up photo boxes, photo galleries and maps have been included.
In the first issue, Life! food critic Wong Ah Yoke shows you how to eat well, on the cheap, in Hong Kong. He tries out the latest Michelin-starred restaurants where one can have a meal for as little as $10 a head. In the regular monthly column, Best New Restaurant, he picks The Clifford Pier for its glamorous interior and authentic hawker fare at decent prices.
For Travel, food editor Tan Hsueh Yun escaped from the hustle and bustle of city life to a ryokan in Yamashiro Onsen.
In Pursuits, vintage fashion lovers talk about their prized possessions, from designer clothes to jewellery.
Stories are written by the Life! team and reporters from The Straits Times newsroom.
Says Ms Gwee: "The biggest challenge putting the e-magazine together was working in a brand new medium.
"From the video cover of the magazine to the inside pages, the design team has worked hard to create an interactive read that is engaging and easy to navigate. We hope readers will have as much fun reading The Life as we did putting it together."
graces@sph.com.sg
The ST Star app can be downloaded on the Apple App Store and Google Play (search "Straits Times Star"); or go to www.straitstimes.com/ST-Star-app for links.