@KooBitsEDU Turns Your Traditional Books into eBooks!

Penn Olson features start-ups. Find out more here.

Is the rise of e-books burning the book publishing industry? This has been asked so many times; I dare not give a bold statement but shall let the statistics to speak for themselves. Amazon US has already announced in July 2010 that it has sold 143 digital books for every 100 hardbacks from April to June 2010 and the numbers are constantly rising.

Several friends of mine have bought iPads for their kids with the purchase intent of using technology for learning. eBooks are currently static – ever wondered how reading could be made even more fun?

Local start-up Personal e-Motion has developed a valuable technology called KooBits – a digital publishing technology with the ability to convert traditional books into eBooks, with a value-added option of making it interactive by inserting animation or simple games. It can also be published onto mobile devices such as the iPhone as well as other web-based services.

In this interview, team KooBits shares with more about their start-up, recent projects and vision.

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1. Okay, typical question for a start-up. How is your product different from other eBooks out there?

Good start, Amelia. We place heavy emphasis on interactions as we believe that this will be the key to add value to the relationship between a user and his or her favourite content. Just like how Guitar Heroes, iPhone and Wii redefine interactions between users and content, we hope to accomplish a similar thing with eBooks through our patented technology.

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2. Sweet. What is the most interesting project you have embarked on?

That would be the Michael Jackson eBook because it was fan-driven and people were passionate about contributing to the eBook and keeping the memories of Michael Jackson alive. We also experienced an outpouring of comments and views on the blog and trailer within weeks of the eBook launch!

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