Zebra Unveils Web Personal Newspaper Technology

Zebra Pushware has developed a personalized Web technology that it claims looks more like a newspaper, when the information is printed out, than a series of Web pages.

According to the Israeli company, by using a special Internet push package to push pre-formatted pages across the Web, recipients can receive a "real" virtual newspaper from their computer printer.

The company has licensed its technology to several Israeli newspapers, including the Jerusalem Post, Israel News Today, and the Israel Technology Newsletter. At least one of the papers, the Jerusalem Post, plans to use it to launch a personal newspaper service early next year.

According to officials with Zebra, the software allows Web users to print out their own personal newspaper, and will allow newspaper publishers to distribute their papers across the Internet, rather than simply publishing on the Web.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the plan is to allow readers of the Post to download their daily newspaper from an Internet mailbox, rather than have it delivered to their door, or buy it at a newsstand or newsagent. Zebra’s Push technology opens up sales of the paper to anywhere an Internet mailbox can be accessed.

Plans for the online delivered version of the Post are still at an early stage officials are talking in terms of charging US$12-15 a month for the service.

Zebra’s web site is at http://www.zsoft.com.