CBS Interactive is engaging  fans of the Star Trek television franchise via an iPad application that resembles devices in the series.

The app replicates the hand-held PADD devices from the Star Trek series. Users can access information about the television show, browse episodes and interact with the Star Trek Facebook and Twitter pages.

?This app was developed with the idea that users could imagine they were sitting on the Starfleet ship while playing with it,? said Eric Shapiro, cofounder of ArcTouch, San Francisco.

?We wanted to bring the same visionary image of the show and the tools they use to the app so Star Trek fans could connect with the app,? he said.

CBS developed the app with mobile developer company ArcTouch.

On-board fans
To recreate the Starfleet ship, the app features content that Star Trek fans will recognize, including sound effects that replicate characters and noises from the show.

Additionally, the app goes into diagnostic mode when left alone for 45 seconds and shows a model of the Starfleet ship.

?I?ve always been a Star Trek fan, which made developing an app I was personally connected with more fun, and I think we?ve created a product Star Trek fans will be able to connect with,? Mr. Shapiro said.

?Star Trek fans will particularly notice the resemblance between the iPad device and the PADD device in the show,? he said.

Users can browse Star Trek-related information, including bios on characters and information on aliens, ships and places and view a timeline of episodes.

The app is meant to be a one-stop place for Star Trek fans, and the franchise?s Twitter and Facebook sites are also available on the app.

?I had two goals when developing this app: Bring something of value to Star Trek fans and place myself as a Star Trek fan into the show?s experience to create something worthwhile,? Mr. Shapiro said.

The app is being promoted through a variety of different channels, including flyers with QR codes that users can scan to take them directly to the App Store.

It is also being promoted through social media, on CBS? properties and through word of mouth by the franchise?s fans.

Three-screen experience
The Star Trek app is part of CBS? larger mobile initiative that involves a three-part call-to-action for television fans: watching programs on-air, interacting with Web content and engaging with the brands on their mobile devices.

?At CBS, we?ve been taking show-based experiences onto mobile platforms, which the Star Trek app is an example of,? said Rob Gelick, senior vice president and general manager, CBS Mobile, San Francisco.

?Consumers already recognize the CBS brand, and our individual shows have strong, loyal fan bases,? he said.

In addition to the Star Trek app, Mr. Gelick points to the network?s reality show Big Brother as an example of a television show that is interacting with fans on multiple levels.

For example, fans of Big Brother can download the Android app to further engage with the brand, including social forums, games and show recaps. Users can also subscribe to paid content that takes viewers inside the Big Brother house with live-streaming feeds.

?Our audience is made up of passionate groups of fans, and our goal is to let them keep in touch with their favorite shows on-air, online and with mobile,? Mr. Gelick said.

?Mobile is critical to how we engage with our audience and build and extend our offerings,? he said.

?Mobile is fairly new to us, so we?re still working to understand how we can best use it to make content relevant to our viewers.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson, editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York