I am reluctant to complain, but a planned evening to bowse back issues of MR has turned into frustration and anger.
I am trying to use the Zinio app v1.1.9 on a Surface Pro under Windows 10. Each page turn takes 20-30s to refresh the image. Sometimes only the text appears and the pictures never show up. After waiting 1-2 minutes I close the app and come back again hoping for a better outcome. I have downloaed the issues to the PC so this is not an internet access issue.
In honesty I have only contacted Zinio support once. My query recieved canned responses about internet connectivity and 'not all platforms have been tested'. Really???!!! It's Windows!!!! Switching to an iThing is not an option. Make the Windows version work!
I switched to all digital several years ago when it became impossible to store all the paper copies of MR. Now it seams I cannot access all those past issues.
Does Kalmbach care about this or are they just happy I continue to pay for issues I cannot view? Am I in the unfortunate minority here, and subsequently unlikely to get any consumer satisfaction, or has anyone else had success (or failure) in using Zinio on a Windows PC?
Sorry for the rant (not really).Dwayne A
Since you are using a Surface Pro, that means you have full Windows 10, not the limited version - why use the app? I just logged in to my Zinio using Edge and page loading seemed fine, even though I am actually watching a YouTube video at the same time (though my desktop PC is using a wired ethernet connection, not wireless, and my cable modem downlink speed is currently 250mbps (one reason I do not want to move. I have very high speed at a very reasonable price). I do have no issues using the app on my ipad. But that connects with a 5GHz N router, not sure of the actual true speed but a speed test run from it gets me at least half my speed from a wired connection.
You may want to check the wireless speed. If you are only connecting at a slower standard, like G, that may be the problem. It's a lot more traffic than basic web browsing or email. What may work fine loading web pages is slow when downlooading large chunks of data at a time. The type of devices you have may matter - over the years I've learned to never EVER buy Netgear routers because too may wireless devices use Broadcom chipsets and the two do not play well together. Distance and signal strength also can have a huge effect on it, again not totally nooticable unless you are trying to move a lot of info. I doubt there is anything chronically wrong with the Zinio software.
I've been all-digital for years now, even get the special issues and, when offered, books in digital format instead of print. Saved a tremendous amount of space in my basement since I had a pretty complete collection of MR from the 50's to present and a few sets of earlier years. Plus all the issues of MRP and GMR, and Classic Trains. Now - the old MRs and Classic Trains are on a couple of DVDs, anything newer is in the archive or in Zinio.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Evening Randy.
I use the Zinio app as I frequently travel and like to read on planes, and in foreign hotels with crummy and/or expensive internet service.
As I stated I've already downloaded the issues. Further, I doubt internet access in this location is an issue as I too am watching netflix and youtube and browsing this service simultaneously. Truly I believe Zinio is the issue. The previous (unsupported and unavailable) version of Zinio had no issues. Tonite my rant is really about the inattention to paying customers.
To the final point.... Is the only realistic method to read this magazine online? If yes - drop the pretense of offline access.
I agree 100% with you. The app is horrible dor me as well. Its to the point where i have a subscription on my Nook app because of the spped and interface design. I wish there was a app for Windows 10 for the archives like my ipad has. using a browser is not fun
Canned reply to contact (outsourced) customer service in 3...2...1 !
Kalmbach customer service can't help with Zinio. They only contract Zinio to provide electronic copies of their magazine, as do thousands of other magazines that are available through Zinio.
I suspect what they will tell you is that the use share of the Windows 10 app is miniscule compared to other platforms and thus there is little value in spending money on it. Facts of life. There just aren't many Windows tablets, that run the limited version of Windows that requires dedicated apps - most all of them are dual purpose models that run full Windows 10 and don;t need that app silliness. If the 'quality' of the Microsoft-produced apps for Windows 10 are any hint as to the quality (things like Solitaire, which you now have to buy), I'd stay far far away. Howver, being that it IS a full Windows 10 and noot the 'lite' stuff, how much memory do you have in that Surface Pro? And how much other stuff running in the background? Even that might not help (plus you can't upgrade after the fact anyway - which makes complains about Apple seem silly), Apps in Windows seem horribly inefficient. Microsoft Jackpot, their slot machine app, doesn't even control or constrain graphics to their dialogs - for example while collecting your daily reqard, you can click the X and close the box while the coins just keep pouring out of nothing for the same fixed time they always run. These things also have no access to video card acceleration, not even the built in stuff in the CPU, so I can only imagine how horrible it must be trying to open a hi-res image of a magazine page.
I wouldn't hold up the iOS Archive app as a model - whoever thought that selecting the desired issue by scrolling through 75+ years one issue at a time was a great idea for the UI either thought they said there were 75 ISSUES or else is a complete dunce. I know Kalmbach keeps saying "we didn;t develop it, we contracted that out" Fine. But as the contractee it is your right to tell the contractor no, that isn't right, make these changes. Boy do I wish when one of our clients asked us to set up their systems I could just do what I wanted and they'd have to accept it...
UPDATE 2018-10-01
In the interest of fairness and full opportunity I contacted both Kalmbach and Zinio today.
Zinio reply: "We currently do not have an app designed for Win 10 devices. This would be reviewed during future upgrades."
Kalmbach reply: "Your business means a lot to us and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you. If the Zinio app is no longer compatible with your device you can use the web browser to access your issue through the Zinio web site."
Further questions regarding offline reading were met with radio silence [cue the crickets].
It appears RRinker offers the sagest advice. To reliably read MR one needs to park his backside in front of a not-too-new-high-power desktop PC running only the Zinio app and hard-wired to the internet via a T1 class internet connection. Sadly in my case this is not possible and I find myself part of a disadvantaged minority where my business is of insufficient value to both Kalmbach and Zinio.
Sadness.
So what IS this Zinio app you are using if Zinio themselves are saying there isn't one? A leftover from Windoows 8? Could be why it runs poorly.
You don't need a high power PC (and a T1 connection in today's terms is actually dog slow - I would hate to live where that was the fastest internet I could get). I read offline just fine with the Zinio app and with the MR Archive app (the issues usually show up a day sooner in the archive app. Since it is the latest issue, it's easy enough to get to - it's the top one, no silly scrolling) on my iPad. I have no app on my desktop Windows 10 computer, well, I have the old 75th DVD installed so anything up to 2007 I can load quickly, but anything else, I use the web browser to read them.
You can usually 'print' the issues to PDF, and then view them offline in a PDF reader. Yes, an extra step, but you can have as many offline issues as you have disk space.
OK, so there is actually a real Mac/Windows application:
https://www.zinio.com/desktop/reader
SO I just went ahead and installed the 64 bit version. If I have some more time I will try the 32 bit version - it may be more efficient. I downloaded a couple of my issues and I was able to flip through them without too much lag. It could be slow at times but never ridiclously so, and I suspect any Surface Pro is actually a faster machine than this desktop I built almost 7 years ago/ It does have an SSD, and I upgraded the video card, but the CPU is several generations old and not nearly the fastest even at the time (I never by the top of the line - 3x the cost for maybe 50% more performance is never worth it). The worst seemed to actually be the blue page borders on the classified section, when it came to load times - and this was downloaded, not reliant on internet speed. But even after paging through an issue, then using the jump to page feature to jump around the issue, not once did I ever have it fail to load the pictures. It actually seems like I can zoom in more without the image getting blurry compared to the iOS version.
Again, there is nothing Kalmbach can do to help with this, nor should you expect them to. Any issues with this application are strictly Zinio's problems. Same for any of the other magazines that use Zinio, it's not PC World's problem, or the Robb Report's problem, or Vogue's problem that Zinio's app has some issues. What would you have them do? Find someone else? OK, find another digital magazine subscription service that is cross platform AND is big enough that they won't just fold in a year or two leaving everyonbe stuck with no way to get their old issues. I was skeptical at first because I never heard of Zinio, but over the years of my digital subscription, Zinio has gotten bigger and I'm no longer so worried about my old issues.
I use the ZINIO Ap on my iPad and find it faster and easier to use than the web version. Too bad about Windows 10 problems.
Not to hijack the thread, but if you want to talk about a horrible Ap, it has to be the MR Archives Ap. I usually sing the praises of Kalmbach, but they really botched it with the MR Archives Ap.
Ray
I’ve been digital only since re-entering the hobby 5 or 6 years ago. ZINIO app on iPad generally works great, but every once in awhile theres a glitch. Case in point November is still not available in my Zinio app. But I’ve read it with the MR Archives app. And Ray is correct, the MR app is terrible. Scroll endlessly through issues chronologically? That idea should never have made it past UX prototype 1.
I also had trouble with the archive, so I let it and my magazine subscription expire a few years ago. I sometimes have trouble with MRVP, and I've contacted customer service in the past and they have been zero help. I want to cancel MRVP (mainly because I only watch a couple of things), but their website tells me that I can't do that until the middle of month. After almost 50+ years of supporting MR, I am considering completely cutting the ties. They don't really seem to care.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
We are in process of changing over to a new customer service provider that we sincerely hope will be more customer-focused than our last one. We're doing this in response to complaints like those posted here. Please bear with us until we can get them on board. Thank you for your patience.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven Otte We are in process of changing over to a new customer service provider that we sincerely hope will be more customer-focused than our last one. We're doing this in response to complaints like those posted here. Please bear with us until we can get them on board. Thank you for your patience.
thanks for the update Steve. There’s a significant chance none of us will die if we miss a post, video, or [insert deity of your choice] forbid, an issue. There’s a lot of moving parts between subscribers, publishers, 3rd party developers and distributors. It’s amazing any of it ever works at all.
trwroute I also had trouble with the archive, so I let it and my magazine subscription expire a few years ago. I sometimes have trouble with MRVP, and I've contacted customer service in the past and they have been zero help. I want to cancel MRVP (mainly because I only watch a couple of things), but their website tells me that I can't do that until the middle of month. After almost 50+ years of supporting MR, I am considering completely cutting the ties. They don't really seem to care.
Now if i could subscribe to the archives ONLY, i would. I like the pre-2000 issues the best. Too bad that's not an option...
I gave up on the Zinio App on my Android tablet. I read on my desktop PC only now. Not as convenient as a tablet but more reliable.
Maurice