The launch of the Cosmopolitan Russia iPad application was the starting point for bringing Sanoma Magazines' magazines to digital tablets. The biggest Cosmopolitan outside the US, the Cosmopolitan Russia published by Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, has been available for download since 20 August 2010.

Cosmopolitan was followed by the Dutch free news service, NU.nl, and AutoWeek. The latter rapidly emerged as the most popular iPad application in the Netherlands following its launch in mid-September.

The first titles available on iPad by Sanoma Magazines Finland, will be the country's number-one fashion and lifestyle title, Gloria, and the number-one specialist IT title, Tietokone. Oma Talous, produced for the Tapiola Group, will be Finland's first customer magazine to come on iPad.

Dynamic visuals and strong content

The iPad edition of the Cosmopolitan Russia contains interactive tests, video interviews, reports from the set, videos and trailers which are only possible on a device like iPad. The Cosmopolitan iPad application also allows a new way to display advertising, making it as interactive as possible. L'Oréal is the launching advertiser of Cosmopolitan Russia on iPad and examples of interactive ads can be found throughout the issue.

Gloria will be the first Sanoma Magazines Finland title to appear on iPad edition and will hit the virtual newsstand at the end of October following a complete revamp of the magazine earlier in the month. The next title will be Tietokone, which will appear on the iPad at the end of November. Subsequent iPad editions of both titles will appear simultaneously with print editions.

"E-readers are the first electronic products to offer an environment that truly supports the strengths that lie at the heart of the magazine experience – dynamic visuals, strong content, and a great read," says Sanoma Magazines Finland's CEO, Clarisse Berggårdh.

"They also represent an exciting new distribution channel that we can use to offer our readers a more comprehensive range of paid-for content. We will further extend our e-reader portfolio with a number of other magazines towards the end of this year," continues Berggårdh.

Sanoma Magazines is a part of the Sanoma Group, a strong European media group operating in diverse fields of media in more than 20 countries.