The Times Reader, which member of the New York Times who have a PC already know, is now available in Beta for Mac.

This application displays a paginated version of the newspaper and includes a seven day archive and integrated search. Clicking on an article brings it up in the interface and you can skip through all articles thanks to forward and back buttons at the bottom.

Font is available in three sizes and you can print articles, send them via email or save to read offline. The syncing is done automatically but you can set the interval at which it is performed, for 10 to 120 minutes. Note that syncing does take a while at first, but will be quicker as you update the program.

I found the installation process particularly long, especially as you have to make sure you have Microsoft Silverlight and that you are a registered member of the New York Times. It's also a shame that the Mac version doesn't include many features that you find in the PC version like search relevance view or news in pictures. Hopefully all the same features will be available in the full version.

Obviously, you'll get a similar experience if reading the NYT from a desktop newsreader. However if you enjoy the paginated format and like having the New York Times right on your desktop this app should be a blessing.