The New York Times last month released a beta version of its Times Reader software that lets users read the paper in a paginated format on various electronic devices.

The software, developed in concert with Microsoft, is based on the developer’s Windows Presentation Foundation technology, and can be used on desktops, laptops and Tablet PCs.

The app maintains the look of The Times and also enables users to search for additional content and to access hyperlinks within the text. Content can be stored on PCs for offline viewing or updated continuously if connected to the Internet.

The Times last spring said it would work with Microsoft to develop the software. The Times is offering Reader at no charge prior to the launch of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, expected early next year.

Meantime, The Times said its digital archives now contain all articles the paper has published since Sept. 18, 1851.

The articles, displayed in PDF exactly as they appeared in the paper, are accessible through the paper’s premium TimesSelect service. Articles published in 1981 and thereafter will appear online in the familiar scroll-down screen format, the paper said.