NYT Co. unveils new mobile app: Service to further link PC, mobile space

The New York Times Co. announced the beta launch of an application designed to help move content between computers and mobile phones.
ShifD updates information to users’ accounts using any Web browser, via text message or with an Adobe AIR-based application. The application distributes the information across all devices, allowing users to clip a story and read it later on a phone, or save an address with a corresponding map.
The offering is available on “most mobile phones” in the United States as well as Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry devices, the publisher said.
“ShifD is an experiment in giving users the power to bring their content with them by easily shifting it among all of their Web-enabled devices,” said Michael Zimbalist, VP of research and development operations for The New York Times Co. “We see a future for device-independent media, with convergence around the user experience and not any particular delivery platform. Developing services that allow users to access content wherever they are and on whichever device they choose is an important part of our strategy.”
The announcement follows the company’s January launch of a service that delivers news, columns and features to mobile phones via text message; The New York Times also last month announced a deal with AT&T Mobility to secure deck placement for its mobile site.