New E-Rival: Kurzweil Bows Blio E-Reader
This week brought the official launch of Blio, a free multiplatform, multimedia e-reader app from KNF-B Reading Technology, a company founded by futurist Ray Kurzweil, the inventor of voice-recognition, in cooperation with the Federation of the Blind.
Originating as an app to help people with impaired vision read digital content more easily, the partners are marketing Blio to mainstream consumers. Blio aims to preserve the visual format of books and magazines -- including layout, type, images and colors -- while also enabling an array of digital media, like online video and interactive Web.
The app allows users to make "notes" by saving additional images, video and voice content alongside digital content. Advanced text-to-speech technology developed by Kurzweil allows readers to download two lifelike voices -- "Samantha" and "Tom" -- for audio reading.
Blio offers users access to 1.2 million titles through a partnership with book distributor Baker & Taylor, Kurzweil said, including rich-media, video, slide-show and audio-enhanced content from top publishers such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Penguin Group, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster.
Like other e-reader services, Blio stores digital editions purchased by the user in a virtual library. But unlike some other services, the user can access this virtual library by various means including mobile devices, desktop and tablets, allowing them to "transfer" the reading experience between devices.
Kurzweil also touted its color capabilities as a significant improvement over competing services -- which are for the most part limited to monochromatic reproductions of print content -- noting the importance of color to reader experience for content like cookbooks, travel guides, how-to books, textbooks and children's stories. Blio, which can be downloaded for free at blio.com, is compatible with desktop computers and laptops, and will soon be available for other Windows-based devices. Applications for Apple, Android and Silverlight platforms are planned for the near future, which should also make it available to a broad range of mobile devices.
Recent MediaDailyNews Articles
-
Multichannel Video Cos. Register Subscriber Loss, Satellite TV Gains May 22, 10:55 a.m.
For the first time in a year-long period, the biggest multichannel video companies have witnessed a ... -
DPAA Taps Enhanced TV Ad Vet Frey As New Chief May 22, 8:08 a.m.
Barry Frey, a long-time cable and interactive television executive who helped pioneer the field of “enhanced ... -
How Social Is Transforming TV May 21, 5:46 p.m.
Live from OMMA Video, Viacom Media Networks is unveiling its findings from “When Networks Network: TV ... -
Chicago Awards O'Hare Digital Signage Biz To Clear Channel Airports May 21, 4:30 p.m.
The Chicago City Council has awarded Clear Channel Airports a five-year contract, with the option for ... -
(Updated) NDTV Challenges WPP, Tries To Revive Lawsuit In NY May 21, 4:26 p.m.
(Editor's Note: The original version of this story, including the headline failed to note that NDTV's ... -
Horizon Taps Gambelli As Chief Investment Officer May 21, 4:18 p.m.
Former NBC senior advertising sales executive Marianne Gambelli has landed at Horizon Media as its executive ... -
Ad Council Raises Autism Awareness May 21, 3:41 p.m.
The Ad Council has partnered with Autism Speaks and two agencies, BBDONew York and LatinWorks, to ... -
CBS Scores Big Victory In 18-49 Demo May 21, 3:11 p.m.
Just two days before the finish of the TV season, CBS claims a major victory among ... -
TiVo Boosts Revs, Data Efforts May 21, 2:54 p.m.
TiVo made gains for its first-quarter revenue results with higher cable operator subscriptions.The time-shifting and technology ... -
Updated: Out-Of-Home Trading Platform Integrates With Mediaocean, Posterscope Backs Move May 21, 8:07 a.m.
(Editor's Note: Posterscope denies it is backing ADstruc. A Clarification has been published here.) While ...
Be the first to comment on "New E-Rival: Kurzweil Bows Blio E-Reader"
Leave a Comment