Continuing its foray into cross-platform publishing, media mogul Condé Nast will use Google?s Android 3.0, a.k.a Honeycomb, to sell digital editions of its magazines.

The New Yorker and Wired will be the first publications to come to the Honeycomb operating system this spring. The publications are already part of the growing list of magazines the company offers in digital format ? Glamour, GQ and Vanity Fair are available on iPhone, iPad and Nook Color, The New Yorker is available on Kindle, iPad and Nook and Wired is available on the iPad platform.

?Consumers want and expect content on demand, and given the deep relationships readers have with our brands, it is important to deliver a variety of opportunities for them to engage,? said Monica Ray, executive vice president of consumer marketing at Condé Nast, New York.

?Someone that loves The New Yorker or Glamour is likely to read the magazine, visit the Web site often and spend significant time within an app,? she said.

Condé Nast is persistent in exploring the best way to reach readers through new platforms, also releasing Condé Nast Traveler?s Best of Italy app and Vogue?s Covers Exclusive app on Feb. 17.

Choosing to branch out to Android-based tablets and smart phones reflects the company?s desire to cater to the changing preferences of its audience.

Money matters
One consistent strategy does not cut it for Condé Nast. The company must weigh each digital initiative to decide when it is and is not fitting to charge for content.

?We believe our award-winning content should be paid for by consumers when appropriate, such as with our digital magazine editions, and supported by advertising,? Ms. Ray said.

?We also have premium Web sites, which offer free content and are advertising supported,? she said.

The ad sales model for the Android matches that of the iPad, meaning that advertisers that run pages in the print magazine are also included in the digital editions.

There are also premium and premium-plus opportunities with varying fees.

Mobile jackpot
Based on previous digital success, the adoption of Android-enabled devices is not a surprising step for the company.

The five magazines currently available in digital formats have had more than 600,000 paid downloads, and Condé Nast placed fourth in Mobile Marketer?s 2010 Mobile Publisher of the Year awards.

From the Android market only, Epicurious has had more than 500,000 downloads to date.

The Epicurious Android app

?In less than a year, this business has already turned into a profitable enterprise, driven by paid consumer downloads and advertising sales,? Ms. Ray said.

While the publications are being designed for the Motorola Xoom, Condé Nast plans to add other Android tablets soon.

?We are not prepared to confirm plans beyond The New Yorker and Wired coming to the Motorola Xoom at this time, but ultimately we want to make our content available to consumers wherever and whenever they choose,? Ms. Ray said.