Nation News iSnap™

Introduction to iSnap

How iSnap Works

Nation News For iPad

Download Nation News Mobile App

Frequently Asked Questions on iSnap

1. What is iSnap?

iSnap is a service brought to you by Nation News that combines augmented reality (AR) and image recognition technology to give an added dimension to print content.

Its tagline is "Bringing your newspaper to life" and that's exactly what it aims to do by extending the breadth and depth of content available through your daily paper.

2. How do I use iSnap?

iSnap is a feature found within Nation News Mobile app which is currently available for iOS and Android smart phones.
You need to download the current version of the app from the respective Apple App Store or the Google Play marketplace.
Once you have downloaded Nation News Mobile, you will find the iSnap icon on the menu bar at the bottom. Simply tap the icon to activate iSnap; it will bring up your phone camera.
Simply hover your phone over any page (articles or advertisements) in Nation News which carry the iSnap logo. After a moment, depending upon the quality of your mobile Internet connection, the augmented reality layer will pop up (see diagram).
Make sure that at least 50% of the iSnap-enabled page is visible within your phone camera when you hold the phone over it.
Press the Pause button and you may then interact with any of the icons, links and forms that have appeared.
Just tap the word "iSnap" which is at the top of your screen to return to the paused view.
Tap the iSnap icon at the bottom of the screen again to reset to camera view and look for another iSnap-able page.
Please note that the iSnap logo is NOT a QR Code. If you just focus your smartphone camera on the iSnap logo, nothing will happen. You need to hold the phone high enough above the page so that at least 50% of the page can be seen in your camera view.
For best results, your newspaper should be laid flat on a table or other firm surface in a well-lit area with no shadows cast over the page. It is possible to use iSnap on a page while holding your newspaper up, but you may not get a satisfactory experience.

3. What are the devices that are compatible with iSnap?

iSnap works best with devices that have good camera feature and screen size of 320x480px in width and height. Besides iPhones, other Android devices that work well with iSnap include Samsung Galaxy SII, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Google Nexus S and Google Nexus.

4. Which version of Android is compatible with iSnap and how can I check the version that I'm using?

Nation News Mobile App with iSnap features is compatible with Android version 2.2 onwards. One way is to check your version from the homescreen and then press Menu > Settings > About Phone. The Android version should appear in it. We will continue to enhance our compatibility with Android devices, though not all devices will be supported due to the large number of devices (>1000) that run on Android.

5. Do I have to pay for iSnap?

No, iSnap comes with Nation News Mobile app, which is distributed free of charge. However, do note that you may incur data charges from your respective cellular provider if you are not already on a data plan. You may also access iSnap features over a wifi network, which generally also provides a better user experience.

6. Do I need to subscribe to anything?

All you need is a recent issue of Nation News (though we're happy if you choose to subscribe to it – click here for subscription options).

Your smart phone needs to be on a 3G network at least, or wifi. If you have trouble accessing iSnap content on wifi, switch to 3G.

7. Does iSnap work on lower speed mobile data networks like GPRS, 2.5G, or EDGE?

It all depends on the connection speed at your present location rather than the network or technologies. The speed / quality of your network connection will affect the overall user experience.

8. What kind of content can I expect from iSnap?

At the moment, the content varies from video and audio clips to product catalogues, photo/image galleries, additional content, interactive forms, and other call-to-action features.

9. Can I use iSnap on Nation News e-paper?

Yes, you just need to point your smartphone's camera at a tablet or PC screen that is displaying the full page view of the page with iSnap content. In our tests, using the e-paper on a tablet yielded results just as good as, if not better than, using a printed newspaper.

10. I held my phone with the iSnap feature running over an iSnap-able page but nothing happened. What's the problem?

Typically it could simply mean that the AR features for that article or advertisement have expired.

The "lifespan" of an iSnap-enabled page is three days including the date of publication. For example, if you have a paper dated Monday April 23, you may access any iSnap features it contains until midnight on Wednesday, April 25.

In the event you are unable to access a page that is still valid, the usual smartphone practice of shutting down the app and restarting it is recommended. Failing this, please contact iSnap technical support at nationisnap@nationgroup.com with details of the problem.

It could also be a case of poor lighting where the camera on the phone is unable to capture the image properly.

11. Is iSnap the same as a QR (Quick Response) code?

A QR code typically gives you one response per code, and you are often brought to a webpage after scanning the code. The following table illustrates the key differences between the two.

Features/functions	iSnap	QR Code
Recognition mode	Image-based	Matrix barcode
Code for recognition	None required; the image of the page/advert is recognized by the system	Code generated and pasted onto each ad/article.
Call to action	Rich and varied. e.g.. Click-to-URL, play multimedia, download, register, maps, discounts, catalogues, etc.	Mainly click-to-URL
Ability to change call-to-action	Flexible	Limited
Software required	iSnap-enabled Nation News Mobile app (offers news updates and other information as well)	Any QR code reader (specific to one function only)

12. What else can I get from Nation News Mobile app?

Nation News Mobile draws its content primarily from Nation News Online, which is Malaysia's leading news portal. It offers the latest News, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Technology stories as well as selected Classified advertisements.

The app also has a Gallery of the day's News Photos which may be viewed individually and that link directly to the associated article.

Another feature of the app is the semantic tagging technology behind its content, which allows you to see related stories to a particular story, follow a developing news item or even get alerted when there is any news about a particular company or individual.

13. Why can't I locate the latest version of Nation News Mobile in Google Play using my Galaxy Note device?

There have been certain issues being reported when using Galaxy Note to access certain android app. These are some suggested ways that may help:

1. Clear out your cache, data/history and retry to access Google Play.

2. Make sure that your Android OS used is at least version 2.2 and above.

3. Ensure that you are using the latest version of Google Play.

14. Is it possible to access iSnap using an iOS or Android tablet?

Yes. However, for the moment, iSnap has not been deployed on a native tablet app (i.e. an app specifically designed for tablet usage); that is scheduled for the near future.

You may, however, still download Nation News Mobile app to your tablet and use iSnap from there. Please note that the app window will remain at the same size as a telephone screen. It will not scale up to fill the entire screen of your tablet.

15. Is iSnap an app or a feature?

iSnap is a feature in Nation News app – news aggregation app of Nation Group

16. Will Nation News Mobile app be made available on other platforms?

We are exploring the possibility but for the moment, our priority is to incorporate iSnap into iOS and Android tablet apps.