Readers of The Straits Times have been turning to its recently launched ST News Tablet as a novel way to keep up with the latest news, from updates on the coronavirus outbreak to the Budget measures announced on Tuesday to help Singaporeans cope with the economic slowdown.
Educator William Thompson found the tablet useful when Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat delivered the Budget speech.
"There were a lot of updates coming in about SkillsFuture, which matters a lot in my line of work," said Mr Thompson, 72.
Ms Chen Siew Fun, 45, is using the tablet - which comes with a subscription deal allowing users to read the e-paper version of ST - more frequently to get updates on the coronavirus situation.
"It seems the number of people here infected with the virus keeps increasing, and I am interested to know the background of the fresh cases," said the housewife, who has two daughters aged 10 and 13.
In recent weeks, ST's online page views have shot up, jumping nearly four times when the Health Ministry raised the disease outbreak response level to "orange", just below "red", the highest level. Video views have also reached new highs.
The tablet is available at an ongoing introductory offer of $24.90 a month for a two-year contract.
For the price, users receive a subscription to the e-paper of the daily broadsheet as well as the Samsung Tab A 10.1-inch Wi-Fi tablet, which normally retails at $398.
Since its launch in December last year, about 7,800 ST News Tablets have been snapped up.
After an initial log-in, the ST app with the e-paper launches instantly when users turn on the tablet, with no need for repeated logins or for users to remember passwords.
Other features on the ST News Tablet, a collaboration between Singapore Press Holdings and Samsung, include offline reading, which allows users to read the news even when there is no Internet connectivity, and allowing users to share articles or promotional deals with family and friends through social media.
The tablet has a 14-day news archive feature which lets readers catch up on news they might have missed, and comes with a blue-light filter that reduces eye strain and helps make reading more comfortable.
The ST News Tablet can be used to download and access other apps and surf the Internet as well.
To find out more about the tablet and how to subscribe for it, go here.
Those with more questions on the ST News Tablet can also go here.
