Our goal: provide news any way you want it [The Miami Herald]

July 28--There is a one in five chance you are viewing this article on an electronic device -- a computer, a tablet or a smartphone. The use of handheld devices is growing at a rapid pace.

Consider this one statistic from Nielsen: In the past 12 months, smartphone use has increased 34 percent. More than half of all cell phone users in the United States own a smartphone.

The Miami Herald is working to keep pace with this change. We have launched a news application for Android smartphone and devices. While Android could always access The Miami Herald's mobile site, the new app vastly improves the experience. The application, available for download at Google Play, offers more news sections and more galleries, and allows users to comment on blogs, share stories on email, Facebook and Twitter, and save stories to read later.

It's the latest addition to our suite of digital products to keep readers on top of the news, whether you are sitting at home on Sunday morning with a cup of coffee -- or keeping tabs on local news while vacationing abroad. Our lineup includes 12 applications for Apple iOS devices, ranging from our news app to a suite of sports apps -- the Dolphins, the Heat, the Marlins and major colleges.

For readers who prefer the newspaper, the digital edition is an exact electronic duplicate. The Herald also is available on various eReaders, including Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and Kobo.

The news application is our first foray into Android applications, said Alex Fuentes, The Herald's general manager in charge of digital projects. Android apps for the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes should be ready before the start of the regular season. An Android news application for El Nuevo Herald will launch in September.

Said Fuentes: "The ultimate goal is for our readers to have easy access to our content, however they want to get it."

Aminda Marques Gonzalez, The Miami Herald's executive editor, writes in this space every couple of weeks. She can be reached at 305-376-3429 or via email at amarques@MiamiHerald.com. The Herald's mailing address is One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132.

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