puzzazz-nyt-ipad-06-09-2013
The New York Times crossword in the Puzzazz app for iPad.

Puzzazz, the Redmond-based puzzle technology startup, is bringing the popular New York Times daily crosswords to its iPhone and iPad app — offering them at no extra charge to solvers who already have a New York Times premium crosswords subscription.

puzzazz-nyt-iphone-04-04-2013The company isn’t the first to offer New York Times puzzles in an app, but it’s taking a unique approach by working in conjunction with the newspaper’s own subscription service and login mechanism, and not charging anything extra on top of what the paper charges.

The Puzzazz app includes extra features to help users navigate and solve puzzles. The company says the New York Times puzzle will download every day automatically for subscribers.

Puzzazz is betting that the move will expose a larger audience of crosswords fans to its Puzzazz technology, leading them to buy its own puzzles inside the app, some of which are created by people who regularly construct puzzles for the New York Times.

“We’re a part of the community as both constructors and as solvers,” said Puzzazz founder Roy Leban. “We want to do the right thing, and the right thing is not charging people twice.”

The New York Times crosswords in the Puzzazz app can be used with the company’s TouchWrite handwriting technology for iOS, which was named Innovation of the Year in the recent GeekWire Awards, based on community voting. TouchWrite recognizes characters traced across the screen and enters a corresponding number or letter into the puzzle.

The Puzzazz app is available for download here.

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