Sports Illustrated has rolled out an iPad application letting sports fans read the magazine on the go in the customized tablet format.

The magazine is the latest publication from Condé Nast to offer an iPad application ? others include Wired, GQ and Vanity Fair. Debut sponsors include AT&T, Gatorade, Lexus, Got Milk?, Nissan, Sprint and Toyota.

?When Sports Illustrated set out its vision for the iPad we wanted to bring together the best elements of the print issue and the Web,? said Chris Hercik, creative director of Sports Illustrated, New York. ?When you get SI on the iPad you aren?t just getting that week?s issue in a PDF form, you?re getting an immersive version of the content. 

?The app format allows us to give readers 40 percent more content than we could fit in the print issue, along with different types of multimedia experiences,? he said. ?In the premier issue of the app you?ll find slideshows, hotspots, an SI Original eight-minute documentary and even an SI Original that we republished in booklet form?a Jimmy Breslin story on the 1962 Mets.

?Our app is an intuitive and easy-to-navigate experience, with each piece of content smoothly leading into the next.?

Sports Illustrated is a sports magazine owned by Time Inc., itself a unit of media and entertainment giant Time Warner.

Mobile slam dunk
The application includes an original documentary, a panoramic photo treatment of Pebble Beach?s ?Cliffs of Doom,? an interactive mock NBA draft, multiple photo galleries, athlete interviews and video essays.

In addition, there is ?The Wheel? feature, which is a multi-purpose digital utility with tabs that lets readers share articles and photos via email, Facebook and Twitter.

The tabs can also direct users to related stories and photos.

Readers can use the contents bar to scan every page of the magazine.

Here is a screen grab of the application:

There is also a navigation tool with visual bookmarks that is featured throughout the issue, so readers know where they are at all times.

?We have seven debut sponsors,? Mr. Hercik said. ?The app presents a tremendous opportunity for the brands and they have really unique creative content for  the tablet edition that takes advantage of the unique abilities of tablet technology. 
 
?We currently have two streams of revenue from the app,? he said. ?We are generating revenue from the advertisers and also from each download.? 

Here is another screen grab of the application:

Sports fanatics
Readers can also view 24/7 newsfeeds and up-to-date scores and statistics, and exclusive video features, reports and commentary.

The publication claims that the iPad version of its magazine has double the number of photos than the print issue.

The application is free for download and includes a preview for the latest issue as well as a free sample issue, but consumers have to pay $4.99 to read the entire magazine.

?People are excited to discover the SI iPad app,? Mr. Hercik said. ?There is a lot of anticipation to see what the vision we laid out in November has become. 

?We think people will be impressed,? he said. ?We?re also running ads in our print issue to let readers know it is available.?