Besides finally having access to Skype (beta version), users of Nokia’s Lumia range of Windows Phone OS-powered devices can also look forward to the cellphone giant’s new Reading app. Nokia announced this application during the 2012 Mobile World Congress, currently underway in Barcelona.  

This application functions as a hub for news subscriptions, e-books as well as audiobooks. Nokia is working with various publishing firms including Penguin and Pearson, to ensure that enough content will be available at launch.

The Finnish cellphone giant stated that within the coming months, users will be able to create a personalised magazine page (dubbed news stream), which will update content across the most popular categories.

Whilst viewing content in the evening, users can switch to “night mode” in order to adjust the font or display brightness, enabling an enhanced reading experience. As is the case with Nokia’s new Mix Radio music streaming service, this application provides users with the ability to make content available offline. This is done by downloading the ebooks or audiobooks over Wi-Fi or 3G and users will also be able to pin a shortcut to Reading app content such as their favourite e-book to the home screen.

The Nokia Reading app will become available during April from the Windows Phone Marketplace for Lumia smartphone users in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia and Germany. How well it will do compared against Amazon’s Kindle service and Apple’s Newsstand remains to be seen. No local release info is available yet.