I’m sure you’ve experienced this. You go to the doctor or dentist, and you’re informed that “someone will be with you in a minute.” Yeah, right. Knowing you’ll really have a lengthy wait, you try to find a magazine to read. Hmm. People from three months ago. Time from one month ago. Conde Nast Traveler‘s fall edition. Why aren’t there any current magazines?
Foli aims to fix that problem.
Instead of ancient, dog-eared periodicals, Foli offers businesses a way to offer current magazine content to their customers through an iPad app. I was fortunate enough to have my home temporarily transformed into a Foli spot, so I could give it a test drive.
You download and open the app, and if you’re near a Foli spot, you’ll see nearby locations and be able to select one.
As far as I know, I’m the only Foli spot in Virginia. Come on over!
Anyway, once you’ve found a nearby spot (like your doctor’s office, a coffee shop or a hotel), you can select it, and you’ll be presented with a list of magazines to browse.
The titles on offer are fairly typical waiting room fare, but they’re current, and it’s probably a better selection than you’re used to seeing now at your doctor’s office.
The interface is similar to Newsstand. You can tap the center of the screen to bring up a table of contents. Page flipping is reasonably smooth, although I did notice the app could be a bit sluggish. You’ll frequently experience a slight delay while new pages load.
So what happens if you’re called before you can finish an article? No problem. When you load the app, you’ll be given a certain number of credits, and you can use those credits to clip articles to “My Collection” where you can take them with you and read them later. I’m not sure how to get more credits when they run out. There were no instructions for that in the app. I had 20 when I loaded the app, and that would probably last me a while.
The biggest problem with Foli right now is the lack of locations using it. The company is based in San Francisco, and most of the locations are there. They are pretty sparse on the East Coast or the middle of the country. Want a location near you? You can suggest locations and receive an email when they are available. Obviously, you can also talk to your doctor (or your barista, or your favorite restaurant manager or salon owner) and ask them to sign up to be a Foli business. There’s no information on their site about business pricing, however.
I like the concept, and I hope to see more locations near me soon. I also hope they have an Android app in the works.
Anyone else near a Foli spot? Have you tried it out?
