The free ad-supported app was built in HTML5 and has initially been optimized to run on the iPad.

"As we see increased tablet adoption rates among our readers, we are actively experimenting with technologies that help us create great experiences in a media landscape with more and more choice," said Kimberly Lau, vice president and general manager for Atlantic Digital. "We believe the future of digital publishing will require a multiple-platform, multiple-product strategy where users can access Atlantic content whenever and however they want it. To meet this challenge, we are constantly seeking to develop our internal capabilities and partnerships, and this new Wire app does just that."

The mobile application is a response to changing audience behaviors and new paradigms brought about by the exploding tablet and smartphone market. In December, more than 27 percent of The Atlantic Wire's site traffic came from mobile devices, and in 2012, the number of monthly unique visitors accessing the site via a tablet increased more than 210 percent, year over year.

The touch experience release follows an August update to The Atlantic's flagship iOS application and the introduction of an iPhone Atlantic Wire application released in February 2012. This latest product offering was built in HTML5 using the Sencha Touch framework.

"The power of HTML5 is being proven by apps like The Atlantic Wire," said Michael Mullany, CEO of Sencha. "When you combine a talented development team and the right HTML5 tools, you get rich, immersive and fluid experiences. The Atlantic Wire app gives you a stunning touch interface right in your browser, so you can discover, read and share content--and it's all built on open web standards with Sencha Touch."

About The Atlantic
Since its founding in 1857 as a magazine about "the American Idea" that would be of "no party or clique," The Atlantic has been at the forefront of brave thinking in journalism. One of the first magazines to launch on the Web in the early 1990s, The Atlantic has continued to help shape the national debate across print, digital, and event platforms. With the addition of its news- and opinion-tracking site, TheAtlanticWire.com, and now TheAtlanticCities.com on global cities, The Atlantic is a multimedia forum on the most-critical issues of our times, from politics, business, urban affairs, and the economy, to technology, arts, and culture. The Atlantic is the flagship property of Washington, D.C.-based publisher Atlantic Media Company.