Brunei Times launches its e-Paper on 3rd anniversary

THE Brunei Times (BT) has taken a leap forward by becoming the first newspaper in the country to launch an e-Paper, making it more accessible to those located within and beyond the boundaries of the Sultanate.

Launched in conjunction with the BT's third anniversary, the e-Paper initiative provides the complete version of the newspaper online to establish itself as more than just a local print media.

Launching the e-Paper yesterday at the Rizqun International Hotel was Chairman of The Brunei Times Sdn Bhd Pehin Orang Kaya Ratna Setia Dato Setia Hj Abdul Hapidz Pehin Orang Kaya Laksamana Hj Abdul Razak.

"With this new service, you will experience the appearance of the physical newspaper on your computer. From major cities across the globe, you will be able to read the paper at 4am local time," he said.

The Chairman also said that print media is heavier in terms of delivery and more expensive in terms of production and is quickly losing ground to more popular electronic media.

"But we will further improve our newspaper and make it the flagship of The Brunei Times Sdn Bhd, compatible with mobile, broadcast and television, together with our user-friendly e-Paper to serve our readers and users better," said Pehin Dato Hj Abdul Hapidz.

"Three years ago, this independent English broadsheet daily carried the motto 'Fresh Ideas, New Option, Global Vision' and I'm proud to say that we have achieved a lot since our inception and will carry on promoting the image of Brunei globally and provide the global community with information about this peaceful paradise through our in-depth coverage of local events, including the implementation of the Malay Islamic Monarchy," he said.

Group Editor-in-Chief of The Brunei Times, Hj Bujang Hj Masu'ut said that the e-Paper is an innovation that makes it most easily accessible."It allows us to branch out, not only in Brunei, but in the rest of the world, enabling us to promote our Sultanate beyond our borders," he said.

This will allow The Brunei Times to emerge as a multi-dimensional media instead of just a mere print media, Hj Bujang said.

Tiew Siew Chuen, CEO of the Standard Chartered Bank, Brunei, said the e-Paper is "innovative, very nice and cool".

"This promotes the paper and it is a step which takes it ahead of its competitors. This is a good investment for BT. I hope it will give inspiration to other businesses to start more innovative online projects," she said. Jennifer Kang, the bank's head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing, added that the e-Paper is also environmentally friendly. Popular blogger Ranoadidas said, "It's pretty good and the pages are loading fast.

"It will definitely benefit advertisers as they will get more traffic." The Brunei Times has also launched a new look website equipped with Twitter, a new social-networking site.

The Brunei Times