Prepare yourself – the holiday shopping season is upon us. While Black Friday, the deal-packed day following the Thanksgiving holiday, is the unofficial kickoff, folks are already thinking about what they’re asking for and what they’re going to buy their loved ones this holiday season.
Why not a tablet? Recent studies suggest that everyone is tablet crazy these days, and 90% of Americans either want a tablet or already own one.
Some big name tablets will be doing battle for your hard-earned cash this year – the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Amazon Kindle Fire, and Apple’s iPad 2 to name a few.
Check out this awesome infographic that should provide you with the information necessary to choose the right tablet for you or your loved ones this season.
The craziest shopping period of the year is rapidly approaching, as retail outlets are beginning to unveil some of their Black Friday deals. According to multiple reports, this year’s buying frenzy might be all about tablets.
At least that’s where people will be looking closely for deals. Although it’s probably not the group of devices most likely to see huge holiday markdowns, tablets are on the top of people’s shopping lists according to a new report from Retrevo.
According to the numbers, tablets are the most sought after item this season. 32% of those surveyed said that they will be looking for a deal on an iPad, Kindle Fire, or other tablet. This is tops, followed by HDTVs with 25% and Laptops with 24%.
As far as specific tablets go, folks are hoping to recieve the iPad and the new Kindle fire more than any other device. The two are at a virtual dead heat atop the list, followed closely by smartphones:
Other interesting finds from the survey include the fact that online shopping is set to increase once again, with 34% saying that they plan to do Black Friday shopping both online and in-stores. Only 10% of this year’s sample group say that they plan to do all of their shopping in-store, down from 18% last year.
So shoppers are looking to buy the iPad, and people really want to get the iPad as a gift this holiday season. When you look at additional data from Nielsen, you see that it’s not just adults that want Apple’s industry-leading tablet.
According to their own survey, kids really want iPads too. 44% of children aged 6-12 say that they want the device this holiday season. Apple ends up dominating the wishlist, as 30% of the kids desire an iPod Touch and 27% desire an iPhone.
What deals are you looking for this Black Friday? Do your family members want tablets, specifically iPads? Let us know in the comments.
Amazon’s new tablet, the Kindle Fire, is set to release on November 15th, and the buzz surrounding the device is pretty high. The Wi-Fi only tablet sports a 7-inch display, a dual-core processor, but lacks a camera or mic. In terms of features, it’s not the most loaded tablet on the market (although it will have a good amount of apps at launch). But that price point is pretty tasty – $199, hundreds of dollars less than many other comparable tablets on the market. And of course, there’s the new Silk browser that’s raising both excitement and concerns.
But Amazon looks to be confident in its new tablet, as they have reportedly increased order of the Kindle Fire to 5 million before the end of 2011.
The report comes courtesy of DigiTimes, who quotes sources within upstream component suppliers. This increase follows another recent increase from 3.5 million units to 4 million units.
Estimates point to the fact that Amazon has a reason to be confident – some put the pre-order figures at nearly 100,000 on the first day and 20,000 every subsequent day for about a week.
Another recent survey conducted by ChangeWave points to significant demand for the Kindle Fire.
The survey of 2,600 “early adopter types” found that 5% had either already pre-ordered the device or were very likely to buy it once it hit the shelves. 12% said that they were somewhat likely to buy the tablet.
In comparison, the same survey conducted in 2010 found that 4% had pre-ordered or were very likely to purchase Apple’s iPad, with only 9% saying that they were “somewhat likely.”
Additionally, 26% of the “very likely to buy a Kindle Fire crowd” said that they would delay or put on hold buying a new iPad.
It’s highly unlikely that the Kindle Fire will knock the crown off the iPad, but it is possible that with the cheap(er) price and the trusted Amazon name, it will cut into the iPad’s dominance. What do you think? Are you planning on giving the Kindle Fire a shot? Let us know in the comments.
Oregon, the first state in the United States to vote by mail, is pioneering another way for residents to participate in the democratic process.
Officials are reaching out to those people who might have a hard time getting to the voting booth, people with disabilities, and having them cast their ballots via iPad. The voting officials are going around to nursing homes, community centers, and anywhere else that they feel might house people with the desire to vote, without the ability.
The iPad is a good device for disabled people to use to vote, as they don’t even have to pick up a pen. Voters can tap their choices via the touchscreen or even direct election officials to tap their choice for them. This helps out those voters that might have a physical disability or severe arthritis. For those with vision problems, the iPad voting software allows for adjustments to the font style and size, as well as the color of the screen.
According to the AP, “State elections officials say they’ll use the same system in the special general election in January. And if the pilot project is successful, they’ll make the service available across the state. They believe Oregon is the first state to try using iPads to mark ballots.”
Officials are hoping the iPad voting program will eventually replace the other methods of helping disabled people vote. The computer equipment currently in use is getting old, and it’s clunky.
Apparently, Apple donated 5 iPads to help with the program. If it proves successful, the state would need 72 of the devices (2 per county) to make it a statewide initiative. The voting software cost around $75,000 to develop. All of this together would put the total cost at around $110,000 – which is merely a fraction of what Oregon spent in the last two years on accessible voting tools ($325K).
It is important to note that the voting is not truly electronic. The votes are not being officially cast wirelessly via the iPad. The iPad allows the voters to make their pick, but an official ballot is printed and then mailed to the elections offices.
Tuesday’s elections include two gubernatorial races, in Kentucky and Mississippi, as well as mayoral contests in big cities like Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Francisco. Ballot initiatives are being decided on the issues of voter and collective bargaining rights as well as the issue of “personhood,” a measure in Mississippi that would greatly influence abortion rights.
Can iPads be an effective tool in helping more people vote? The iPad is already being used in many school districts as an educational aid – and that seems to be a nice fit. Let us know what you think in the comments.
Grace Windram is a five year old girl in the UK, who has been living with Spastic Dyplegic Cerebral Palsy. It has left her with the inability to walk. However, a surgery which is available in the US will provide her with the ability to walk again. However, it costs £50,000, which includes travel and surgery expenses.
Her parents have been trying to rally support, setting up a page for her on JustGiving.com. Big Ideas Digital, an iOS game developer came to the call for help given by Grace’s parents. Their game, Say What You See, is a brain teaser which is available for the iPhone and iPad.
Here’s the official description for the game: “Say What You See is a hidden object game in the style of Where’s Waldo?/Where’s Wally? and Dingbats/Whatzit? but with a cryptic twist. Once you’ve scoured each oil painting (or iCanvas) for objects, you’ll have to unravel their meaning too. Each iCanvas is themed around a different subject, from Scary Movies to Books, TV programmes and beyond.”
The game itself is free, however, they release canvases as separate downloads. Some are free while others are paid. To help raise money for Grace, they released a special canvas themed around her, called “Grace’s Toons”. All proceeds going to help Grace’s parents raise funds. Due to the recent popularity for the game, the developer was able to raise £21,000 towards the fundraiser. This, along with the donations gathered by the parents, is going to be enough to send Grace to the US for her surgery.
The announcement of the good news was made by Big Ideas. If you’d like to learn more about the game, here’s the official page.
A feel good story to get the week started off with.
Tablets are a bit of a rising star among musicians these days, as they are figuring out just how capable the devices are of handling various aspects of recording. Whether you’re talking about an entire album recorded with an iPad (like Gorillaz), or a tablet being integral in sound mixing, musicians have discovered the possibilities of the devices.
This is definitely not lost on Wayne Coyne, frontman of The Flaming Lips.
Today, it was revealed that the band will be playing a special tribute to Steve Jobs at the O Music Awards, a celebration of digital music and other things internet-related, run by MTV. The “O” in O Music Awards stands for “offbeat, outrageous and online.”
The special Steve Jobs tribute that The Flaming Lips have in mind is a version of The Beatles’ classic “Revolution” played entirely on an iPad.
Coyne tweeted out a video that shows the eccentric singer messing around with the Mugician iPad app. Is this the app that’s going to handle the heavy lifting for the tribute performance?
The performance will be streamed live from the event, which will take place on Halloween night at 8:30 pm Pacific.
The Flaming Lips are no strangers to experimental music. They have plans to release a 24-hour song on Halloween night, encased in a human skull. The song will come on a portable drive and once inserted in the skull, will be covered in chrome and elegant packaging.
This comes on the heels of a 6-hour song that the band released to benefit the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. Fans could donate $100 to the cause and have their name inserted into the song.
And then there was that whole Zaireeka thing, where they released a four-disc album that was intended to be played in 4 separate players simultaneously.
But tackling the Beatles on an iPad? That’s a tough task. Do you think they can deliver?
Apple released its Q4 earnings report. While it missed some estimates, it still had a record September quarter and all time record for iPad and Mac sales. Though iPhone sales were down, it was still a record September quarter for iPhone sales.
CEO Tim Cook opened the earnings conference call by noting that this was the first one since the passing of Steve Jobs. “The world has lost a visionary, a creative genius and an amazing human being,” he said, adding that his “spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
Cook said he wanted to express gratitude for the condolences and expressions of support following Steve’s passing.
He then turned the call over to CFO Peter Oppenheimer to go through the financials.
Apple sold 17.07 million iPhones in the quarter – 21% growth year-over-year. They sold 11.12 million iPads (up 166% year-over-year). They sold 4.89 million Macs (up 26% year-over-year). They sold 6.62 million iPods (down 27% year-over-year).
Oppenheimer noted that Mac growth has been largely fueled by the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro, with 74% of Mac sales being portable Macs, though they also had record desktop sales. He also noted hat there were over 6 million downloads of Mac OS X Lion during the quarter.
The company says iPhone sales were better than they expected, as buzz built for the next-generation to come out in the fall. In other words, they expected people to hold off on buying an iPhone until the iPhone 4S came out.
He did note that the Asia Pacific has contributed to strong iPhone sales growth. Sales in that region more than doubled year-over-year.
On the iPod front, the company says sales were ahead of their expectations, despite being down year-over-year. iPod still controls 70% of the portable digital music player market. iTunes also had record results.
Apple says it will continue to focus on international expansion of Apple Retail stores.
They also announced 250 million iOS devices sold.
During a Q&A session, Cook said he expects to have an all time record iPhone quarter this quarter.
They will continuously rebroadcast the earnings call here. See the whole earnings report here.
Facebook has finally launched its much-anticipated iPad app.
“Facebook for iPad not only includes popular features from the site like photos and games, but also optimizes them for the unique capabilities of the iPad,” a Facebook representative tells WebProNews.
With the app, users can use their fingertips to scroll through the news feed, swipe to page through albums and pinch pictures to zoom in – pretty much what you’d expect.
Games, apps, groups and lists are in the left-hand menu, and messages and notifications appear at the top of all screens.
You can chat with friends and play games in full-screen mode, watch videos inline, record HD video and stream to Airplay devices.
It’s available in the Apple App Store.
In addition to the iPad app itself, Facebook also announced they are extending the Facebook Platform to mobile including the new iPad app, iPhone/iPod app and mobile web site. Support will extend to Android and other platforms in time.
“The Facebook Platform will allow mobile developers to take advantage of social channels for search of discovery of their apps and also the Facebook Credits payment system,” the rep tells us.
Users will get bookmarks to the mobile versions of the apps they use, and will be able to invite friends to the apps from mobile. They will also be able to interact with highlights from apps in the news feed.
The new features, Facebook says, are still under development.
As you would imagine the death of Steve Jobs has hit Apple quite hard, They’ve updated their homepage to include a single image remembering the legacy of Steve Jobs. You can see the image above.
After you click the image you’re greeted with the following message, and an email address where you can leave your condolences.
“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has loast an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email [email protected]“
To read more about the passing of Steve Jobs or to share a kind word please go here.
Apple’s chairman of the board, and former CEO has passed away after a long bought with pancreatic cancer. he was only 56.
Back in late August Jobs shocked the world when he resigned as CEO from Apple. In his statement he said, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come”.
Below a statement from Apple:
We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.
Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.
With all of the iPhone talk over the past couple days, it only seems fitting to include it here as well. Today’s infographic round-up looks at the “grief” Apple fans have had to endure, as well as public opinion regarding the iPad vs. Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet. But that’s just a couple items. Continue on for more.
iOS 5 will be released on October 12, Apple announced today at the iPhone event. It’s been expected any time this fall, but now we have a solid date, and it’s coming up.
iOS 5 was announced months ago, and will come with lots of new features. Read all about it here.
Of course a major feature of that is iCloud, which the company touted once again today. It will also be shipped October 12.
There’s not a lot new in this part of the discussion as far as I can tell, other than the release date.
iTunes Match (which was announced with iCloud), will be out at the end of the month, by the way.
It will be on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch 3rd and 4th generations.
The iPhone 4, he says, makes p half of the overall iPhone market, and that they’ve seen 125% growth in year-over-year iPhone sales.
iPhone is 5% of the overall mobile phone market, he says.
Then, he moved on to iPad (and this is all pre-announcement stuff, mind you).
He says all states in the US have iPad deployment programs in place or in pilot, and that 1,000 schools have a program. Over 80% of hospitals in the US are also testing or piloting iPads he said.
Cook says that three fourths of all tablets sold are iPads, and notes that it is the undisputed #1 tablet in the world, though more competition is on the way.
He then announced that 250 Million iOS devices have been sold!
There has been an incredible amount of anticipation for the iPhone 5, and it’s expected to be unveiled at an Apple event on October 4.
Something else that has been widely anticipated by Apple fans is the launch of a Facebook iPad app, and according to a report from Mashable, this too will launch at that event along with a new Facebook iPhone app.
There’s been a fair amount of drama in the news this week about the launch of the iPad app (or lack thereof). The engineer who created it put up a blog post that’s been making the rounds, saying that he left Facebook for Google, partially because the company wouldn’t released the app, which has been completed since May.
Perhaps Facebook wanted to get its huge new announcements out there first (Timeline, new Open Graph, etc.). Facebook is changing a lot now, you know.
Apple, on the other hand, announced that iOS 5 would be fully integrated with Facebook rival Twitter.
According to Mashable, whose sources are cited as “two sources familiar with the situation,” Facebook may also be announcing its rumored HTML5 mobile platform.
As far as the iPhone 5 itself, this infographic from PaidViewpoint looks at who’s most likely to upgrade to the device and the features they want:
With Apple devices, the only thing more fun than speculating about the next big device is speculating about the next big device that will follow the next big device. Consider this little rumor as just that – speculation about Apple’s next-next-gen devices.
According to “industry sources,” Apple is planning on using curved glass displays in their upcoming devices – not the upcoming devices that most people think will launch next month, but in devices that will launch in 2012. This could include all of their products that run iOS, including iPhones and iPads.
DigiTimes reports that Apple’s competitors are ramping up for curved-screen products as a way to compete with the iPhone. But Apple is also apparently ready for curved glass displays –
Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad.
This is not the first time we’ve heard talk about Apple experimenting with curved glass displays for their devices. Back in May, reports emerged that said Apple had purchased a couple hundred glass cutting machines built specifically for curved glass.
If there’s any truth to this rumor, Apple wouldn’t be the first to give a phone a curvy look. The Android-powered Nexus S, HTC Sensation and Dell Venue all sport curved glass displays.
Apple and “curved glass” also have another connection, as the brand new Cupertino campus that has been proposed by Steve Jobs would feature a giant curved glass window around its circular frame.
Folks expect that the iPhone 5 (and possibly a 4S) will be unveiled at the next big Apple media event, rumored to be taking place on October 4th. That would mean that the iPhone 5 would hit shelves sometime in mid-October.
But those devices aren’t expected to feature curved glass. This new curved glass design would only affect devices into 2012, possibly an iPad 3 or the iPhone 6. Would you want your Apple products to sport this kind of display? Let us know what you think.
Yes, as a matter of fact, that is a 70-inch iPad screen you’re seeing, and while the option to expand your iPad viewing experience doesn’t come from Apple, judging from the upcoming video, it works just fine.
With news about iPads getting ready to rule the tablet market as the holiday season approaches, the 70-inch add-on is a perfect way to accessorize these soon-to-be gifts. Courtesy of Crunchy Logistics, the Padzilla Interactive iPad/iPhone Case allows users of Apple’s mobile devices — in this case, the iPad — to expand their viewing area from the standard 9-plus inches to a screen that’s big enough to hold movie parties with. Another feature, besides the expansive screen, is the touchscreen interface is still available, even with the 70 inches of screen real estate.
This interactive case allows you to use your iPad/iPhone with a massive screen that is multitouch capable. Shown in the video is a 70″ version but can be made in any size up to 150″. Jailbreak is not required. However this is an accessory and does require an iPad or iPhone (3GS or 4) to work properly. This unit can be positioned vertically or in a table mode thanks to our special mounting system.
Meaning, if 70 inches isn’t large enough, you can always go larger. There’s a video of the extension in action, for those who are wondering how a large iPad works:
The video features a “fingers too fat for the iPhone” approach, but it’s doubtful a 70-inch extension is necessary to improve the user experience. In fact, if you’re suffering from fat finger syndrome — guilty — an inch or two more would be sufficient. In the case of the Padzilla iPad screen, you add about 60 more inches, changing the iPad from a mobile device to a home entertainment system. Unfortunately for those interested, there’s no price listed at the Crunchy Logistics website. Instead, the developers invite interested parties to contact the company for additional information.
Considering the price of larger high-def televisions, and the technology needed to keep Apple’s touchscreen technology as a method of input, it’s logical to assume such a large iPad addition will cost a pretty penny. Of course, when it comes to accessorizing devices, people have been known to go all out, sparing no expense. When you consider the solid gold iPhones, it only furthers the point about accessories and price.
Thoughts on the oversized iPad? Would you consider such an accessory, or is something like the Padzilla case reserved for those who don’t worry about money?
It’s almost October folks, and you know what that means: It’s time to get ready for the holiday season, especially if you’re a company looking to rake the money in during the “everybody buy” portion of the calendar. In regards to mobile devices, some are speculating that Apple’s iPad will rule the season when it comes to tablet computing purchases.
The reason for the domination is not so much because iPads are just incredibly better than their competitors; although, the survey comes across that way. From this perspective, however, public perception leads consumers to believe the iPad is the only choice for tablets out there, regardless of how many Verizon commercials we see:
In fact, I’m curious to find out how many average consumers out there can name additional tablet computing options. Android tablets are mentioned in Gartner’s report, but the fact remains, they don’t refer to the Android tablets by name. Instead, they refer to the operating system instead of the hardware. The same, however, is not true for Apple and the iPad.
Of course, the fact that Android is available on multiple tablets and iOS is only available on the iPad comes into play here.
Essentially, it’s the iPad versus the Android offerings, and if Gartner’s report is anything to go by, Apple will again reign supreme. The report reveals that worldwide tablet sales are expected to increase by 261.4 percent when compared to the 2010 numbers. While iPad’s numbers essentially decreased in relation to tablet sales — 73.4 percent in 2011, compared to 83 percent in 2010 — the fact there was such a dramatic increase of tablet purchases makes these numbers a wash.
In fact, Apple’s position in the tablet market may very well be set in stone for the foreseeable future:
“We expect Apple to maintain a market share lead throughout our forecast period by commanding more than 50 percent of the market until 2014,” Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. “This is because Apple delivers a superior and unified user experience across its hardware, software and services. Unless competitors can respond with a similar approach, challenges to Apple’s position will be minimal. Apple had the foresight to create this market and in doing that planned for it as far as component supplies such as memory and screen. This allowed Apple to bring the iPad out at a very competitive price and no compromise in experience among the different models that offer storage and connectivity options.”
Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear the iPad will continue to rule, especially during the holiday season as its competitors continue to refine their product. As a comparison, Gartner reports that Android tablets will account for 17.3 percent for overall sales in 2011. Apple, again, will command over 70 percent of the same market, and that’s just with one tablet offering.
Currently, the Android OS is available on a number of different tablets, including offerings from Samsung, Acer, Sony, Asus, and HTC.
There are some pretty interesting clips in today’s round-up. I think the face-swapping program takes the cake though. Imagine how good this technology could be in another year. Get ready for impostors to infiltrate your video chats and “hangouts”.
Today’s edition of the daily top videos article has mostly tech-related stuff, but it also has Netflix apologizing for the way it’s handled its recent pricing and plan restructuring. Of course the apology was accompanied by yet another controversial move.
There is also plenty of media industry drama, for those of you who have been following the AOL/TechCrunch plot. Let’s get to the videos.
Xbox Live running on Windows 8:
Pretty cool video of what it would “feel like to fly over planet Earth” has been making its way around the tech blogs and social networks:
A Hot Wheels publicity stunt that performed well on YouTube:
One of the most talked about things on the web today is Netflix’s decision to split its DVD and streaming businesses into two. Here’s a video of CEO Reed Hastings talking about the decision and apologizing for how things have been going lately:
Google Wallet has also been a hot topic of conversation between the George Costanza teaser and a leaked document indicating it would be launching today. Here’s the video Google put out when it announced Google Wallet, in case you need a reminder of what it’s all about:
Here’s what Redmond Pie calls “the Best iPad Knock-Off We’ve Ever Seen”. It runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.
Kara Swisher points to a pair of CNN interviews in which now former TechCrunch writer Paul Carr and herself talk about the drama that has recently unfolded at AOL and TechCrunch:
Interesting video from HakTip at Revision3 on how to make any application portable:
Gizmodo points to this video of a boat motor-powered blender:
Another day, another set of videos. Maybe you’ve seen some of them, maybe you haven’t. There’s a little something for everyone – at least everyone with any interest in technology, marketing, the media, or Weird Al.
I’m willing to bet you’ll be able to find something in the videos below that interests you. Here are some of the better videos we came across today.
Microsoft has a lot of people talking about Windows 8 this week, and this look at the iPad with iOS 5 vs a Windows 8 Slate is getting a lot of attention:
WebProNews spoke with former congressman Rich Bocuher about the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, which he thinks is necessary for the economy and for Obama’s broadband plan, among other things:
Robert Scoble has a look at an interesting iPad app for musicians called Tonara, which eliminates the need to switch to sheet music as they follow along.
USA Today shares an interview with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg about jobs:
This videos actually been around for a few months, but it was brought to my attention today, and it probably deserves more exposure. It’s Weird Al and email.
Google introduced voice actions for Android in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain:
Google Digital Marketing Evangelist Avinash Kaushik shared this video on Google+ about changes to the Google Analytics Visits computation algorithm:
In this one, a car’s GPS system mocks the French. The video gained some exposure on reedit:
Nieman Journalism Lab shared a vice of a discussion about the state of television and media:
LeVar Burton seems to be on a life-long mission to put books in the hands of kids, and thank god for that. As the star of the widely popular show and indelible part of my youth Reading Rainbow, he told a generation of kids that they can go anywhere and be anything.
And now he wants to give a whole new generation of kids the same message using the new technology that we now have at our disposal.
Burton has announced that he is launching RRKidz, and educational app that takes the world of Reading Rainbow to the iPad and select Android devices. The app will of course contain books – 300 at the launch. It will also contain videos of Burton exploring different real-life places, mirror the content of the original PBS Reading Rainbow. He’s already recorded videos all over NASA, for instance. The new app will also feature educational games.
Burton wants this app to stand out in a crowded field of educational apps for kids. He tells Fast Company that he will be “curator in chief,” hand picking the books, games and other app features.
“I’m the curator,” he says. “I chose the voices, I put together the team; this is the value of 25-plus years of experience that I bring to this venture.” Reading Rainbow is a cultural landmark, and Burton both hosted an produced it. So if anyone knows how to get kids engaged when it comes to reading, it’s him.
The app will also include some special features – a truly multimedia experience for the readers. The stories will sometimes come with enhanced voice-overs from Burton himself, special animations (part of what made the show such a hit) and games built right into the PDF book itself.
“For 25 years Reading Rainbow gave me the opportunity to excite children about books and reading through the medium of television. With RRKidz, I will be able to bring that same spirit of discovery, imagination and adventure to today’s digitally connected kids through enhanced e-books,” says Burton. “RRKidz’ innovative platform allows us to deliver an incredibly exciting interactive storytelling experience through partnerships with leading publishers.”
Apparently, the initial app is just the beginning. RRKidz wants to grow into a larger educational platform.
This will most likely be a huge hit. You want to know how relevant Reading Rainbow remains? Check out what made its way up the Reddit charts recently (Courtesy) –
And for relevance and nostalgia’s sake, please enjoy this awesomeness –
