The Toronto Star has launched its own app, making it the first of the major Canadian news media organizations to do so. The app is aimed at tablet computers and will run on the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab to start, with other web-enabled tablets down the road. The app was built on the Pressly platform and uses HTML5. The interface allows readers to “flip through” pages, creating a magazine-like experience.

While the app doesn’t include classified advertising (yet), it does support “full screen beautiful (display) ads in between editorial content,” according to Jeff Brenner, CEO of Pressly. He called ads on apps “the highest yielding” and the most likely to generate user interaction. Other features in the app include the usual multi-touch gestures, changeable font size, video and geo-location. The Toronto Star has 3 million readers online and in print.