Plug-in book offers digital content when the page is turned
Physical books and new technology are often placed in contrast to each other but – as we have seen with projects such as Between Page and Screen – they can actually exist in harmony. Adding weight to this point, the Elektrobiblioteka, or Electrobook, contains sensors between its pages that generate extra, dynamic content for readers when the book is plugged into a computer. READ MORE…
Service charges e-book readers by the page
Pay-as-you-go models have proved popular for telecoms and utility firms, ensuring that consumers only pay for what they use. Now that books have gone digital, could charging readers for how much they read – rather than an upfront cost for the whole book – work for the publishing industry? Israel-based startup Total BooX believes it can. READ MORE…
Wise Words with Eric Hellman
Founder of the open access book site, Unglue.it, Eric Hellman gained a Ph.D from Stanford University before working as a Library Technologist at a company called Openly Informatics, which seeks to encourage academics, researchers and other sector professionals to share their knowledge in one database. Taking his passion for open access to knowledge, he went on to form Unglue.it in May of this year, having experienced the frustrations of digital licensing limits firsthand through his library work. READ MORE…
In Spain, second hand books sold by the kilo
We’ve already seen discontinued and other discounted designer goods sold by the kilo, so it wasn’t entirely surprising to hear of a similar approach applied to books. Sure enough, Spanish La Casqueria now sells secondhand books by weight rather than by individual title. READ MORE…
Book printed in ink that vanishes after two months
We’ve seen a few innovations that have offered a twist on traditional reading habits, from offering short works by new authors based on the duration of train delays to temporary edible and smokeable books. Taking elements of both of these ideas, Buenos Aires-based bookshop and publisher Eternal Cadencia has released El Libro que No Puede Esperar – which translates as ‘The Book that Cannot Wait’ – an anthology of new fiction printed in ink that disappears after two months of opening the book. READ MORE…
With each pizza delivered in Spain, books for the Colombian needy
Much the way the ColaLife project has worked to piggy-back on Coca-Cola’s formidable distribution networks to get medicine dispersed where it’s most needed, so the Books for Colombia effort aimed to capitalize on the pizza deliveries in Spain to get books to the Colombian needy. READ MORE…
Slovenian library creates surprise book packs based on genre
Last year we saw both people and dogs loaned out by libraries, but it would seem there’s still plenty that can still be done with books as well. Aiming to introduce more fun into library loaning, The National and University Library of Slovenia recently ran a program offering mystery packs of books to their customers. READ MORE…
Wise Words with Paul Cameron
Paul Cameron is the co-founder of Booktrack, a service matching synchronized music, sound effects and ambient sound to the text of e-books. Paul is also a qualified aeronautical engineer, and a graduate from the Royal Canadian Air Force. After a decade flying as an officer with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Paul founded the Marops Defense Projects Division in 2006, which was subsequently selected as one of the top 20 fastest growing companies in New Zealand. Paul went on to co-found Booktrack in 2010.
As the reader progresses through a Booktrack story, the soundtrack keeps pace, and the reader can pause or resume the soundtrack manually whenever needed. Separately controlled music, sound effects and ambient soundtracks, meanwhile, can be turned off, lowered or raised individually, depending on the reader’s personal preference. READ MORE…
Personalized books handcrafted from individuals’ life stories
Regular readers of Springwise may remember our recent article on Social Memories, the book which transformed people’s social network activity into a glossy book. Now we’ve come across Velveteen, another project creating unique and personalized books, this time from their customers’ entire life stories. READ MORE…
