The futuristic vook brings together text and video And now,the vook. Most of us have come across vlogs,the visual alter egos of blogs,and vooks are the latest avatars of books. A brainchild of Internet entrepreneur Bradley Inman,the vook was created in 2008. According to Inmans website,www.vook.com,the idea was to unite the disparate worlds of books and videos into one complete,blended story. In other words,the vook is your regular book,interspersed with chapters in video format to create a reading experience that brings together a well-written book,high-quality video and the Internet. Not only can you curl up with this futuristic book,you can surf videos and connect with authors and friends without switching platforms. The vook comes in two formats: the first is a regular web-based application that can be run on your desktop or on the mobile. Web-based applications do not require much downloading or software installation,but the second format,running it on Apple applications,does so in order to sync them with the Apple mobile device. It as an interesting platform where all forms of media converge. All the great content generated by writers and filmmakers can now be run on iPad,iPhone,iTunes and social networking sites. But it is still a relatively new technology and will take time to catch up in India. Vook is the next level after Kindle and Ipad, says Munish Jauhar,founder,GrayCell Technologies Exports. Pancham Prashar,director at Cue Blocks Technologies,says,Its creative but its paid. Titles are also limited. However,I feel it will do great as an educational tool. It will arouse curiosity and interest,promoting books including those in the nonfiction genre. Music lessons or golf or cooking lessons (they have the cookvook) will benefit immensely. What you can't understand in writing,the video will make up for it, he says. While video and content is being woven with the help of filmmakers from TurnHere,more investment and titles are in the pipeline for 2010. The digital books might help attract readers but Pankaj P Singh of Browser library in Sector 8,Chandigarh feels that when it comes to leisure reading,a hard copy is the first choice. It will be a while before the vook becomes popular in India. Its a good concept,especially helpful when it comes to academic books,given its innovative format and the techno savvy nature of our kids. But while audio books are a rage and lifestyle component in the US,in India it is yet to replace traditional reading habits. Such technology will enhance the learning experience and it can make an impact here in another five years, he sums up.
