FOR almost 150 years The Oxford Times has been Oxfordshire’s first choice weekly newspaper.

Since that first broadsheet edition of The Oxford Times & Midland Counties Advertiser hit the stands, our county has evolved, and so has the newspaper.

Ten years ago our website launched, and in 2008 your newspaper changed format to a compact. From this week we have potentially the most exciting development in The Oxford Times’s history since that first, September 6, 1862, edition — the OT app for iPads, iPhones and the iPod Touch.

Every Thursday morning you can have your copy of The Oxford Times automatically downloaded to read, even before the newsagents open. It means you will have it for your morning commute, or when you want to sit down at your leisure or dip in and out to read our award-winning combination of local news and sport, peruse the Weekend section or search for that new home in our property section.

The OT App at the App Store

Simon O’Neill, editor of The Oxford Times, said: “We have always prided ourselves in giving our readers the best news service and we are delighted to be able to now offer The Oxford Times on mobile Apple devices.

“One of the Internet’s great benefits has been to give people greater choice and this new app offers readers a new way of connecting with The Oxford Times.

“They can now receive their local paper in traditional print form, via the Internet or on an iPad or iPhone.

“I believe the app combines all that is best about The Oxford Times as a newspaper with the very latest technology.

“Anyone who has used an iPad or iPhone knows what sensational gadgets they are and we’re sure readers will love scrolling through each page.”

Every page of The Oxford Times is contained in the app, from the news section, through to Weekend, sport and our property section. Supplements, such as Oxfordshire Limited Edition and In Business are already available as separate e-editions.

Readers will be able to use the traditional Apple pinch technique to zoom in and out on each page.

And the best thing about the app is that once it is downloaded you can read it anywhere, even if your Apple device is not connected to Wi-Fi or a 3G mobile data signal.

The Oxford Times app will cost £2.99 a month from the Apple App Store, but we are offering a 30-day free trial to readers. Readers with both an iPhone and an iPad will get the bonus of being able to read their edition on both devices for the one subscription.

Lisa Wrintmore, regional digital manager for The Oxford Times’s publisher, Newsquest Oxfordshire, said: “We have been looking at the emerging tablet and smartphone market for some time, waiting for the opportunity to be able to present our flagship weekly newspaper to our readers.

“We believe our app will meet the high expectations of Apple device users.

“The media is always evolving and changing and we think this is an exciting period for newspapers.

“Given the ability to take your newspaper with you wherever you go, we really believe this app shows we are moving with the times.”