Smithsonian Magazine for Android

Ever since the app was updated, the magazines I’ve been saving from January 2012 to today have all been erased. The pages are gone and if this doesn’t get fixed, I’ll look for something else that will.

The newly updated version of this app is distinctly inferior to the previous version. You can’t set bookmarks any more, so unless you read the entire magazine in one sitting, you have to remember where you were. Also, in articles where you should be able to see multiple pictures by touching the picture or swiping left or right, you can only see the initial picture. There’s no way to see the others.

Saw that Smithsonian now says you can read the print magazine on your Mobile, if you subscribe, which I do. Great, I thought, update and try it. Not only did this not work, it nearly bricked my Mobile. Finally got it working again after some effort. THIS IS A DANGEROUS APP AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DELETED BY EVERYONE! I cannot understand why the overwhelming majority of magazines have useful apps where I can read my print subscription and Smithsonian has been a major fail in this area literally for years. I doubt the app developers ever read these, but if you do: Shame on you. FIX THIS!!!!!!!!!M

I have been reading the magazine for decades and usually find the subject matter of the article’s interesting and informative. The writing is always top notch. The ap, however, is pretty minimal. You see pretty much a copy of the printed version, in portrait mode only. My complaint is you get no control over the page presentation - no scaling or other controls are offered. Fine for those with 20-20 vision. The ap doesn’t take any advantage of the digital medium.

So little functionality for selecting and saving text and articles. Just a glorified pdf reader.