QBookTM is an interactive read-along digital colour picture book for young children, designed by Kiwa Media.
QBook is not only an eBook, it is also an iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad app. QBook combines a narrator's
voice with original picture illustrations and touchable text that is synchronised to highlight,
and sound, when the word is touched. There are great puzzles and games to enjoy as well.
QBook is a great activity for children of all ages that helps develop reading and comprehension
skills. QBook can also be used as part of a lesson plan or reading strategy to help children
learn spelling and pronunciation. To download the latest QBook titles visit the iTune App Store.
The QBook Tool
The software developers at Kiwa Media have been hard at work developing a system tool that helps
produce interactive e-books at an efficient and effective rate. CUT (Content Universal Tool) has
enabled the business to produce books in large volumes while maintaining the uniqueness of each QBook.
With CUT, a separate media framework is built and can then be accessed by different code projects
allowing the same content to be repacked for different platforms. CUT allows designers to layout
QBooks, change fonts and typesetting, and add or remove audio elements without ever touching a
line of code. One feature of the tool is the 'identifier', which seeks and locates missing
resources allowing the team to replace the resource in the media framework. For VP of Technology,
Luke Tomes, it’s a feature that enhances the accuracy of each QBook. CUT maintains a list of
warnings and errors without having to build and check constantly. "If an image or audio file is
missing, we can tell before the book is digitally published. This makes it easier to organise,
so production runs smoothly. We can also view multiple languages side by side to ensure our
localisation is correct and all elements are represented in each language."
A significant element that makes the Content Universal Tool unique is the XCode project, which
contains instructions for building the iPhone app, giving the developers at Kiwa Media greater
control over what content is approved. Fewer people are involved in making the book, resulting
in fewer errors, and less time required for approvals. "What once took us three to four months
is now taking just a week," says Luke. "Our capacity for volume increases along with production
rates, accuracy and efficiency."
For any questions, suggestions or general enquires feel free to contact us on the following:
Email: info@kiwamedia.com
Phone: +64 9 375 2866
Hosting for the Read an E-Book Week website made possible by a generous donation from OneBookShelf,Inc.
