Design News has launched its first iPad app, and we want to give it to you.

Our app takes Design News's monthly print edition into the tablet world. You might be wondering why we took this route, rather than creating an analogue of our Website. The question answers itself -- you're on DesignNews.com right now and have easy access to all its stories.

What the app adds is the ability to dive deeper into our core technology features on automation and control, materials and assembly, CAD/CAE, and electronics. These are the longer articles which can be tedious to read online; they really shine on the iPad, pictures and all. Plus, everything gets cached so you can take it on the plane. (Please don't stow it in the overhead storage compartment.)

Significantly, our app is part of Apple's Newsstand. The Newsstand is the one-stop shop for every iPad user's reading materials, so Design News will always be at your virtual fingertips.

Download procedure
There are several ways to get at the Design News App. You can go directly to the App Store link. If you're in iTunes or the App Store, search for "Design News Magazine."

There's one additional step you may have to take if you've been using an iPad with an older operating system. You can still get and run the app. However, to make it appear in Apple's Newsstand, you'll need to have the current OS.

When I did this update, I found it was a two-step process. Before updating the OS, I had to update iTunes, because only the latest iTunes supports the latest OS. (Apple is so tortuously logical.) You readers are engineers, so you know what I'm talking about. For folks without tech smarts, I just tell them that if they have trouble performing the update, they should ask anyone at home under 16 for help.

I should add that our app isn't the end of the road -- it's just the beginning. We'll be iterating, adding features such as video and social-network access. Please check it out and give us your feedback so that we can be your best destination for getting the technology information you need, and for connecting with your colleagues, both old and ones you haven't met yet!

Email me directly at [email protected] or leave a comment below.