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Inkling Habitat interactive e-book publishing platform rolls out to select publishers
It's not another alternative for individual authors looking to self-publish (at least for now), but professional publishers looking to create and distribute interactive e-books now have a new option to consider in the form of Inkling Habitat. Initially available to select publishers in an early adopter program (a broader rollout is planned for later this year), the platform promises to make producing interactive e-books at scale more affordable, with the program itself completely free provided publishers agree to sell their books through Inkling's store. As mocoNews notes, however, Inkling isn't asking publishers for exclusive rights, so they'll also be able to sell them elsewhere if they choose -- the iPad is the initial target platform, with HTML5-based web publishing also planned. The system is also cloud-based, meaning that a group of folks in various locations will be able to collaborate on a single book, something that Inkling hopes will distinguish it further from Apple's own iBooks Author; its CEO even went as far as to use the analogy of Habitat being the Final Cut Pro to iBooks Author's iMovie.
Van Gogh's Starry Night modded into beautiful interactive light and sound show (video)
This is one of those little projects you wish you could just play with the second you've seen it. Greek Artist Petros Vrellis coded an interactive light and sound show into Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night -- that you can control with your fingers. With a swipe of a single digit (or hand) you can pull the particles of the artists paint daubs to redirect the swirling mass of night sky in any direction, making music as you do so. After the break we've got video that you really, really should watch -- and afterward start begging the creator to get this onto people's iPads as soon as he can manage it.
Hiroshi Ishiguro's android mannequin creeps out Japanese shoppers (video)
If you didn't think mannequins were creepy enough already, maybe this will change your mind. In an attempt to lure shoppers, Japanese department store Takashimiya installed an eerily lifelike interactive robot for its Valentine's window display. The retailer called on robotics guru Hiroshi Ishiguro to provide the humanoid dummy, which can not only wink and yawn as people approach, but also display a range of emotions -- beyond boredom, indifference and oblivious content, we assume. While this was just part of the store's seasonal promotion, it might be a hint at where visual merchandise is going. Whether Ishiguro's model "model" will crossover into more professional roles like her sister, however, is unclear. Want to see that cheeky wink for yourself? Then hit up the video after the break.
South Korea's Live Park uses RFID and Kinect to bring your Holodeck fantasies one step nearer
All those long, long drives to Florida in the family station wagon seemed worth it at the time, but now that we've found out that those lucky South Koreans have another crazy theme-park, we might just change our minds. Located near Seoul, Live Park uses 3D video, holograms and augmented reality, interacting with RFID wrist bands and Kinect sensors to stitch together a continuous immersive story. You (and your avatar!) have 65 attractions, over seven themed zones, and the world's biggest interactive 360 degree stereoscopic theater to wave, jump and shout your way through. Two years and $13 million in the making, Live Park's creator d'strict is now looking to license the concept out internationally, with locations in China and Singapore already earmarked. We're not sure we could handle that long of a family drive just yet, but with a Hollywood entertainment "powerhouse" reportedly nibbling, maybe we won't have to.
Chegg's online textbooks hope to captivate minds, market share (video)
Someone's about to get schooled, and if it's not the youth of America, then it'll be one of the companies rushing to release educational products this week. While Kno takes the interactive approach, and Apple typically keeps us guessing, Chegg hopes its new online reader will capture students' imaginations. The HTML5, cloud-based platform clearly thinks it's portability the kids want, working on almost any connected device. There are interactive features, such as an "Always on Q&A" where questions about material can be answered by the community and -- for the lazy -- a "Key Highlights" option, which uses crowd-sourced data to spotlight the popular sections -- much like on Amazon's Kindle. We all know, however, that the tech-ucation battle was convincingly won some time ago. Hit the PR after the break for the full rundown.
Sky to introduce 'augmented' TV viewing with zeebox companion app
A good week so far for British TV fans, especially those who want a little more interactivity than simply mashing a red button. The UK's satellite behemoth has announced a partnership with zeebox to create a companion app for its scheduling. Once released, you'll be able to connect with fans of the same shows, digest more program information and even purchase on-screen products. You might be doing all of these things with a laptop or tablet already, of course, but at least now you can spare your non-interested friends all those continued America's next top model tweets. If this sounds a bit like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon functionality bundled into an app, you might be right. Sky, however, clearly hopes this dedicated approach will give its programming that extra edge once the iPad / iPhone app pops up some time before the end of Q2. Viewers without iDevices will be able to access the goodies via more vanilla online methods. Hit the PR over the jump for more info.
Apple gearing up for 'media-related announcement' later this month?
Leave it to Apple to completely avoid CES, yet be one of the largest stories surrounding its dates. Much like last year's invite to what would eventually be the introduction of Verizon's iPhone 4, All Things D has it on good authority that the folks in Cupertino are spending their first hours back on the job planning a "media-related announcement" for later this month. Contrary to earlier beliefs, we're told by All Things D that this particular event won't be related to the next-gen iPad, and it's also "unlikely" to be connected to a "large-scale rethinking of its interactive television initiative." So, knowing what it won't entail... what will be talked about? According to unnamed sources, Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue is reportedly involved. For those unaware, Cue is responsible for a sizable chunk of Apple's media units, not the least of which include the App Store, iBookstore, iTunes Store and iCloud. Sadly, details outside of that are few and far betwixt, but you can bet we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more -- even if it's smack-dab in the middle of a Sony CES keynote. Cough. Update: TechCrunch is reporting that it'll focus on the publishing sector, with no new hardware whatsoever on tap. Update 2: Clayton Morris has chimed in and confirmed that it'll be related to iTunes.
Google launches revamped doodle website, store, self-celebration ensues
Google is inviting users to take a trip down Memory Lane, with a new web archive on one of its most celebrated traditions -- the Google doodle. Last week, the search giant unveiled a revamped doodle website, replete with an interactive gallery of over 1,000 homepage designs from around the world. On the new site, users can browse, watch or play with any of Google's myriad doodles, all of which are organized by date and location. Die-hard doodle-heads, meanwhile, can commemorate their love with a customized t-shirt, coffee mug, or any other completely embarrassing stocking stuffer, available at Google's new "Doodle on Demand" store. Check it out for yourself, at the links below.
Saints Row: The Third site adds interactive stats and leaderboards
SaintsRow.com has added a whole slew of new metagame features for chaos simulator Saints Row: The Third, available now by logging in to the website. In addition to standard stats like playtime and the number and type of kills, you can also check out leaderboards on various categories to see how you rate either among your friends or around the world. There's also an interactive map of the city, which will routinely add in player achievements, screenshots, and even custom hints from other players in the game, all displayed right on the spot where it happened. All of the updates are free to use, but of course you've got to create a THQ account and sign in to it with the game itself. And Volition is promising even more features in the future -- trust us, no purple dildos will hit a single head in Steelport without you knowing about it by the time they're done.
Three brings 3LiveShop to Denmark, offers webcam chat and heads-up product display (video)
Well, it appears that Three's call center agents in Denmark won't be able to wear pajamas into work anymore. Following the introduction of 3LiveShop in Sweden, the mobile carrier's other Scandinavian group is introducing this rather novel way of shopping for new phones to Danes. Properly situated consumers may now elect to participate in live video chats with Three employees, who manipulate product photos and information on a heads-up display for customer convenience. (We'd like to imagine this nice lady has placed the Galaxy S II and iPhone 4 into the "maybe" pile.) Thankfully, shoppers won't have to look presentable at all, as participating in two-way video conferences is entirely optional -- along with more traditional voice and chat methods. If you're curious to see a demo of the system in action, just check the video after the break. [Thanks, Jonas]
Teamlab's hangers use RFID to take shopping into the 21st century (video)
Ever heard of an UltraTechnologist before? Yeah, neither have we, but a group of those imaginatively monikered folks have banded their engineering and design skills together to update the shopping experience. Issued from their Teamlab art collective, a batch of RFID-embedded hangers were put to the interactive test at Vanquish, a men's store in Japan's uber fashionable Shibuya district. So, how do these newfangled clothes hangers work? Garments lifted off the rack by a curious customer send a signal to a nearby screen that'll display a front and back preview of the selected outfit -- fitted to an impossibly chiseled model's body, of course. The Teamlab hangers can also be used to manipulate a shop's booming soundtrack and lighting, although we imagine that could get quite messy. So, if you count yourself amongst the claustrophobes that can't handle those encroaching dressing room walls or if you simply take your style cues from photoshopped images of perfection then, hey -- this tech's for you.
Ticketmaster's interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues
You desperately want to attend Katy Perry's raucous San Antonio concert, but your kid sister has absolutely zero interest in tagging along, and the mere thought of going stag strikes fear into your heart. All seems lost, but worry not -- because Ticketmaster and Facebook have just joined forces to create a new feature that weds concert-going with social networking. As of today, users purchasing tickets to select events can easily find out whether any of their Facebook friends are also attending and where they're seated. All you have to do is connect to Ticketmaster with your Facebook account, find your concert of choice and use the interactive venue map to tag your own seats, or to see those of online friends who've already tagged themselves. From there, you can buy tickets right next to your intended targets and act totally surprised when you bump into them at the show. For now, the feature is only available for 300 venues (encompassing some 9,000 events), but you can find more information in the video and press release after the break.
MoleBot interactive gaming table hooks up with Kinect, puts Milton Bradley on watch (video)
Looking to spruce up that nondescript living room table? So are a smattering of folks from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. At this week's SIGGRAPH E-tech event, a team from the entity dropped by to showcase the deadly cute MoleBot table. At its simplest, it's a clever tabletop game designed to entertain folks aged 3 to 103; at the other extreme, it's a radically new way of using Microsoft's Kinect to interact with something that could double as a place to set your supper. Improving on similar projects in the past, this shape-display method uses a two-dimensional translating cam (mole cam), 15,000 closely packed hexagonal pins equivalent to cam followers, and a layer of spandex between the mole cam and the pins to reduce friction. When we dropped by, the Kinect mode was disabled in favor of using an actual joystick to move the ground below. In theory, one could hover above the table and use hand gestures to move the "mole," shifting to and fro in order to pick up magnetic balls and eventually affix the "tail" onto the kitty. The folks we spoke with seemed to think that there's consumer promise here, as well as potential for daycares, arcades and other locales where entertaining young ones is a priority. Have a peek at a brief demonstration vid just after the break, and yes, you can bet we'll keep you abreast of the whole "on sale" situation.%Gallery-130405%
Disney's Interactive Media division reduces losses in Q3
Disney's studio shutdowns may have had at least some of the desired effect: The Disney Interactive Media Group reports that the third quarter has brought decreased losses for the division year-over-year. The group remains the only division in the company operating at a loss, but revenues increased (thanks to Lego Pirates of the Carribbean and Cars 2, according to the studio) and losses decreased to $86 million a year. Disney still blames most of the losses on the acquisition of social developer Playdom last year, but good news is good news. Hopefully this means an end to all of the layoffs around the division.
Preview of Bartleby Vol. 2 iPad app shows possibility of future AirPlay integration
We covered Monster Costume's interactive children's book Bartleby in 2010, and multiple TUAW reviewers found it to be a charming and well-crafted iPad app. Monster Costume is hard at work on Bartleby Volume 2, and even though I don't have kids of my own and am about 25 years beyond the target age group for this app, it still looks like a lot of fun. As you'll see in the video demo below, Bartleby Vol. 2 is really taking iPad interactivity seriously. Like many other iPad apps, it allows you to plug your iPad into your TV and use the iPad as a sort of oversized controller for the game. The video shows an iPad 2 hooked into an HDTV via an HDMI dongle, which may seem clumsy and possibly a recipe for disaster with smaller kids -- but if you've got an Apple TV 2, there may be a solution to that problem coming this fall. The upcoming iOS 5 update will allow wireless video via AirPlay for any app that supports it, and in fact, it seems the only reason Monster Costume isn't showing off the AirPlay functionality already is because of Apple's NDA for iOS 5 features. AirPlay could turn the Apple TV 2 into a de facto game console for apps like Bartleby. Seeing this demo has now got me thinking about the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics release for the iPad and hoping Square-Enix includes this feature, too. Bartleby Volume 2 looks great so far, and Volume 1 is currently available for free until Volume 2's release. If you've got young kids, definitely check it out. Bartleby Airplay Demo from Monster Costume Inc. on Vimeo.
Vinci tablet for babies goes up for pre-order, prepares to be hurled across the playroom
When some of us were tots, there was one family computer, and we were lucky if we got our sticky little fingers on it while we were still in diapers. Times have changed, though, and for some parents, sharing the 'ol iPad or 10.1 with curious babies just won't do. Enter Rullingnet's Vinci tablet, that ruggedized tablet for toddlers we played with back in January. It's up for pre-order now, and though it's not exactly the modded Galaxy Tab we saw demoed, it's a very similar piece of hardware with a 7-inch (800 x 480) display, rugged casing, a 3 megapixel camera and Froyo on board. If you'll recall, it's missing any wireless radios (you know, to keep littles ones from being exposed to radiation), but parents can update apps via microUSB. Aside from the kid-proof caging, though, the hook here is that the tab comes pre-loaded with educational content such as 3D games, music videos, and animated storybooks -- a package overseen by the company's founder, herself a mother to young kids. With a starting price of $389, it's slightly less expensive than other Android tablets, though there's also a version with a more grown-up $479 price tag that doubles the battery life to six hours and comes loaded with more educational goodies. Hit the source links to pre-order, and remember that the tab's intended for kids ages three and under, so if yours is already forming sentences, well, your investment should be good for at least a year.
Apple seeks to spruce up the real world with interactive augmented reality, has the patent apps to prove it
When we go somewhere new, we wish we could spend more time taking in the sights and less time looking at our phone for directions and info about our surroundings. Apple's well aware of this conundrum, and has filed a couple of patent applications to let you ogle your environment while telling you where to go and what you're seeing. One app is a method for combining augmented reality (AR) information and real time video while allowing users to interact with the images on screen -- so you can shoot a vid of a city skyline with your iPhone, touch a building where you want to go, and let it show you the way there. The second patent application is for a device with an LCD display capable of creating a transparent window, where the opacity of the screen's pixels is changed by varying the voltage levels driving them. Such a display could overlay interactive info about what you see through the window, so you can actually look at the Mona Lisa while reading up on her mysterious grin. Of course, these are just patent applications, so we probably won't be seeing any AR-optimized iDevices anytime soon (if ever), but we can dream, right?
McDonald's interactive Pong billboard brings big-screen elation, tomorrow's lunch
You could enjoy that Big Mac in the peace and artery-clogging quiet of your local McDonald's, or you could just catch the next flight to Stockholm, where Ronald apparently serves his meals with a side of interactive, outdoor gaming. It's all part of something called Pick n' Play -- a new (and pretty ingenious) ad campaign that invites pedestrians to play a game of Pong on a giant Mickey D's billboard, using only their smartphones. All you have to do is stand in front of the display, log on to Pick n' Play's site from your handheld, and wait for your phone to verify your location. From there, you'll have to manipulate an onscreen paddle using your device's touchscreen, while doing battle with a game that gets increasingly more difficult. Last thirty seconds, though, and you'll get a free, lipid-drenched treat of your choice, courtesy of the Golden Arches. Best of all, you won't even have to download an app to get your Pong on -- putting you one step closer to that coronary you've always wanted. Trot past the break to see it for yourself.
Intel's Museum of Me finally gives your Facebook ego the attention it deserves
You've mastered the art of the high-cheekboned self-shot. Your acute taste in Iranian New Wave cinema is on full display. That leggy blonde who just so happens to appear in all 200 of your Spring break photos? Why yes, you two do have a thing going on, but honestly, it's no big deal. You didn't even tag her. Yes sir, your Facebook profile is in top form -- a veritable shrine to your unparalleled wit, your ferocious intellectual prowess and your unearthly solipsism. But is it enough? Is your life really getting the Stalinesque digital commemoration it so sorely deserves? These are the questions you have to ask yourself before walking into Intel's Museum of Me -- an interactive ad campaign for the Core i5 processor that takes online ego-stroking to an entirely new level of dystopia. All you have to do is allow Intel's app to harvest your Facebook information, and the program will begin curating an "art" exhibition devoted to your "life." The result is a brief video tour of your very own museum, replete with heartstring-tugging music and the requisite profile picture collages. It's just like walking through the MoMA, but instead of staring at a Lichtenstein or Pollock, you're reminded of, say, those three years you spent with the girl who broke your heart and smashed it to pieces -- or, you know, something like that. If you're into that sort of self-torture, hit the source link to build your own.
Sony's SmartAR demoed live, raises the bar for augmented reality (video)
Remember Sony's SmartAR? The markerless AR technology that promises reality augmentation without the need for unsightly tattoos? It's back again, showing itself once more after an all-too-brief 48 hour layoff. A new live-demo shows Sony's markerless object recognition system focusing on posters, tables, books, and coffee cups in lieu of the traditional AR card -- allowing it recognize multiple objects at once. Focusing on objects rather than markers allow augmented entities to interact more naturally with their environment. For instance, bouncing AR balls plummet off the edge of a table, and realistically ricochet off of a book placed in their path. Objects don't even need to remain on screen, as demonstrated by an AR pop-up menu that remained viewable even after the object-marker that spawned it left the viewer's field of vision. Sony seems to have built the groundwork of an augmented reality system that might actually be useful -- pair this up with a set of swank AR glasses (or better yet, holographic AR glasses), and we'll have a vision of the future we can really look forward to.
