Almost a year after first announcing plans to make exact replicas of the New York Times available for download, the gray lady on Monday announced the launch of its pay-per-view Electronic Edition.

The New York Times, which has avoided the trend to start charging for content on its Web site, said the Electronic Edition would offer an exact replica of the daily print version via download onto a laptop of desktop PC.

The launch, part of a deal with a publishing technology software firm NewsStand, Inc., makes the Electronic Edition available only for subscribers with high-speed Internet access but the company said dial-up modem accessibility would be available soon.

Once it is downloaded, the newspaper would be available to be read on the user's PC for seven days and resembles the actual print version, down to full-color photos and advertisements.

While the electronic version is being targeted towards the international audience and the business traveler, the New York Times said it would work for home users as a cheaper alternative to the bulkier print version.

Subscribers have three options with the Electronic Edition: a seven-day subscription costs $6.70 per week, a five-day subscription costs $3.25 per week and a Sunday-only subscription costs $3.40 per week.

It said single copies were also available via an electronic "wallet," which requires a minimum purchase of $10.00 to download single issues of the Electronic Edition. "Use of the wallet is not limited to a specific time period; purchases of single copies can be made against it at any time," the Times explained.

Subscribers would also get to perform word searches and zoom in on articles or photos. It also allows readers to browse page by page, starting with a particular section or read a complete article by clicking on a link that jumps to the continuation of the article on another page.

LATEST NEWS

EMC Retools Backup for Virtualization, Dedupe
Storm Straddles Enterprise, Consumer Needs
Google to Kill Off 'Second Life' Rival
MySpace Nabs McCartney, Guns N' Roses Albums
IT Spend Report Shows Tougher Times Ahead