AppWatch: A look at what publishers are launching in the mobile space
"Record and Share" feature in Dr. Seuss digital books
Produced by: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Price: Free with the purchase of the digital books ($3.99 each)
Platform: iPad & iPhone
Description & Features
● Sam-I-am may not have liked green eggs and ham, but he sure as heck would have liked this app—or at least Theodor Geisel (that's Dr. Seuss to you) probably would have. For decades, Dr. Seuss titles have served as a gateway to the world of reading. Now, the Dr. Seuss digital reading experience has been taken one step further via Oceanhouse Media's exclusive Record and Share feature that allows users to record themselves reading a Dr. Seuss story and then share the recording with those who also own the digital book. The recordings can also be shared with those who do not own the digital book; anyone can listen to the recordings as standard audio files.
"Now if mom or dad are away from home, they can still read a bedtime story to their kids," said Michel Kripalani, President of Oceanhouse Media. "Or imagine a grandparent receiving a book read to them by their young grandchild. Plus, on the educational front, this is a fantastic way for teachers to evaluate, track and save a student's reading ability throughout the school year."
So far, the Record and Share feature has been added to three popular Dr. Seuss titles: "The Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Dr. Seuss's ABC." Kripalani told Book Business that there are plans for all 100+ children's books apps that have been published by Oceanhouse Media to be updated with the Record and Share feature over the next few months.
Application: How Good is Your English?
Produced by: Oxford University Press
Price: Free
Platform: iPad & iPhone
Description & Features:
● Learning a new language is tough; luckily, there are plenty of resources available to those who are new to the English language, including How Good is Your English?, a new app developed by Oxford University Press. According to Harriet Seymour, Marketing Manager for Global Primary and Readers at Oxford University Press, "the app was created to make it easy for students and teachers to find the correct reading level in English and to promote the power of reading to improve language learners' skills in all aspects—speaking, writing, reading, spelling, pronunciation, fluency and confidence."