In a first for a Chinese government agency, the State Council Information Office launched a free program for iPad, one of Apple's most popular products.

Office hails its launch of bilingual iPad apps.

Users can download the software through Apple's website apple.com.cn. The software with English and Chinese versions covers three parts: office press conferences, government white papers and China's national promotional films.

The office is continuing to upload conferences and update white papers but daily news could be not included in the software, a member of the office told the newspaper.

"The purpose of using the software is to enlarge the influence of the office's press conferences, to better introduce China to the world and improve China's international image," the office states on its website.

Many had rated the software highly, the Website of China Radio Network (CNR) reported on Saturday. Others had suggested more Chinese elements be added to the materials.

"By using high-tech products, it will attract more people to know and discuss the government's policies," said Xia Xueluan, a Peking University sociologist. "Under public supervision and participation, the government will discover its problems over time and overcome bureaucracy."

The iPad format is no big deal, said one scholar.

"Whether government information is open and transparent doesn't depend on what media it uses, but on what it says and does," said Wang Sixin, a law professor at the Communication University of China in Beijing.