Globe and Mail iPad app free…for now

The Globe and Mail has launched an iPad news app, available for free via iTunes for a two-month trial period. It quickly became one of the top free apps in Canada.

Editors Weblog reports that the free trial is “thanks to the sponsorship from three big advertising partners, GM Canada, Infiniti and Capital One. This sponsorship is part of a multi-platform deal that also allows users access to the Globe‘s other mobile inventory free for two months.”

Newslab.ca reports that the app offers a “stylish and intuitive way to read stories”, adding:

“The home page has the top stories across the top third, followed by news features, which can be swiped across. There is a more traditional index navigation along the bottom half.

“The actual story pages are less of a success.

“The content is squeezed vertically onto half of the screen to make room for a square ad that is more often seen on websites.

“The end result is a narrow column for a story along the right side of the screen, with wasted empty space on the left.”