Last fall I came across a viral video (http://youtu.be/APE8M9MeOWA) that shows a toddler attempting to use a print magazine as if it was a touchscreen iPad. The video had become popular no doubt due to a combination of the adorability factor (starring a pint-sized cherub) and the shocking premise that after little more than a year, the iPad was so ubiquitous and intuitive that a child born around the same time as the iPad launch would get the hang of operating the device before getting the hang of, say, walking or talking.
Since its debut nearly two years ago, the Apple iPad has modified mobile computing and carved out a niche with somewhat unprecedented popularity. The tablet format saves space, is second in tech portability only to smartphones and is able to offer more capability. It was only a matter of time before public safety found the multipurpose device in its officers' hands. That's why for the last few months, we've been developing an iPad version of Law Enforcement Technology and our sister publication, Law Enforcement Product News, to meet the demand for trusted analysis of products, trends and intelligence that is relevant to the police mission. We're excited to share that last month we published our first iPad editions of Law Enforcement Technology and Law Enforcement Product News, which you can find by searching in the iPad App Stores or via the links below.
Our magazines have been going to press for a combined 62 years with the mission to serve the men and women of law enforcement with industry coverage that helps them do their jobs and keeps them coming home after every shift. We'll continue to deliver our print and digital magazines each month with a new issue full of law enforcement news, commentary and analysis. In addition we'll be producing the iPad edition of the magazine for readers to have access to our award-winning reporting in the format that best fits their needs.
Through the apps, readers will get a brand new reading experience enhanced with additional media like video and high-resolution images in the portable, intuitive iPad format.
Sponsored by KelTec, Battleware and Mossberg, LET's January iPad edition included "The Prison of the Future" cover story with additional expandable images of correctional facility projects and a pop-out floor plan with images of the completed designs. There were audio and video extras, such as footage of Crimson Trace's IR laser grips in low-light action on the range and a demo of the less-lethal Bruzer weapon.
Sponsored by KelTec, Smith & Warren and Battleware, LEPN's January iPad edition also expanded its industry-leading product coverage from the print issue to include additional high-res images, video and in-depth detail of new law enforcement equipment in its iPad edition. Notably, it had video of the T3 Motion's 3-wheeled crowd control vehicle and an extensive collection of Smith & Warren's customized badges and accessories in a swipe-able carousel, plus bonus pictures of pistols, ballistic shields and vests, oh my.
My goddaughter has more apps on her parents' iPhones than they do. My nephew's favorite animal is the "Angry Bird." It's easy to get a bit nostalgic when a new technology ushers itself in, like when, instead of going gaga for toddler tech like an animatronic Tickle Me Elmo, babies are more prone pinching and swiping at paper expecting the "screen" to move. But we take a cue from you, good reader, that an opportunity to better serve is not something to waste.
Our law enforcement publishing group—included LEPN, LET, Officer.com, Enforcement Expo and Officer World Expo at Police Week—prides itself on being an industry leader in publishing and on our award-winning law enforcement reporting. We're looking forward to continuing those decades of tradition into decades of the future.
