The new digital format is targeted at a new generation of touchscreen-equipped smart phones, e-readers, and tablet computers, including the just-announced (previously known as the CrunchPad), and the anticipated-but-unannounced , which many industry watchers expect to debut sometime in 2010.

The e-reader format could offer magazine and newspaper publishers an opportunity to regain the legions of paying subscribers who've migrated to free content online. The concept is pretty slick.

By combining easy-to-read magazine-style layouts with high-res color images and videos, and links to additional content--such as the fantasy football and statistics examples used in the video--publishers could provide an experience superior to today's websites, particularly on large touchscreen displays.

But "large" is the key word here. The SI example, for instance, may prove visually stunning on, say, a 10-inch Apple tablet--should one exist--but difficult to appreciate on the iPhone's relatively tiny display. And what about e-readers? Well, nobody's come out with a color screen yet, and for good reason. A grayscale, non-backlit display means less eyestrain and longer battery life. But the dazzling SI demo demands better hardware than that.

Will today's Web user, accustomed to free content, be willing to fork over some cash for an enhanced digital experience? That remains to be seen. In fact, nobody's sure if , which could be the ideal platform for the publishers' new format.