Amid the prophecies of doom about the future of newspapers, the New York Times has introduced a standalone digital reader modeled on the print version.

Times Reader beta is a versatile and interactive digitized version of a "real" newspaper, writes Wired. The application attempts to provide a familiar reading experience - but onscreen. Via the Reader, the entire day's newspaper is downloadable and does not require a constant internet connection. Since the Reader uses the website's feed, multiple updates can be performed throughout the day.

Developed jointly by the New York Times Co. and Microsoft, the Times Reader uses the new Windows Presentation Foundation technology, a feature of the next version of Microsoft Windows that improves the graphics handling and user interface behaviors of desktop applications.

The Times Reader will be available for users of Windows XP with the WinFX service pack and Windows Vista Beta.