SherpaBlog makes a strong point about OgilvyInteractive, apparently named as "Interactive Agency of the Year" by MediaPost. Yes, they are 'clueless' (with thanks to Dana Blankenhorn's 'A-Clue'), but along with most so-called interactive consultancies. Many large corporate marketing services companies have fallen ino the same trap, and don't seem to learn anything from a quick 'wander wround the web' (perhaps they don't?).

Newsstand gets publicity for its launch:Andreas Pfeiffer writes a piece on ZDNet. It's also picked up by Premium Blend, the Corante 'group weblog'. Pfeiffer makes the point (not a new one) that newsprint, both newspapers and magazines, are very highly tuned information design examples, with a huge amount of experience built-in over a couple of centuries:

A newspaper design uses an enormous variety of signs and codes to communicate the importance rank of information--a feature which we often lose when we transport information to the Web. These signs include typography--an essential party of any written communication, and painfully absent in dynamic Web sites--but also many other codes which we take in practically subconsciously, such as the placement of an article on the page.

Also covered on Poynter's Tidbits log.

NewsStand is not the only company trying to make this area work. Zinio is another, still working towards a launch. And Cold North Wind's Daily Edition is already there doing essentially the same thing.

Olive Software's Active Paper solution is possibly the most advanced capability in the market at present, and has a much stronger profile among potential customers than NewsStand.

There are obviously many serious issues in these businesses: NewsStrand was founded by Tracey Jones whcih was pusheed out by the financial backers in the first half of 2001, and the company is over six months behhind on its offerings. Zinio has been touting it's launch for many months, and still says it is in beta.

Nevertheless, the fact that four of five companies are tooling up to tackle this market is indicative that there is something there.