FAD or future? Booktrack adds music, sound effects for the E-book; Peter Thiel invests

Robin Wauters is currently staff writer for TechCrunch and lead editor of Virtualization.com. In addition to its activities, professional blogging, he is an entrepreneur, the organizer of the event, from time to time the Council consultant and an angel investor, but most importantly champion full launch. Wauters lives and works in Belgium, a tiny country in Europe. He can often be found from his home or ... ? Read More

A new startup called Booktrack launched this morning (in fact, the NYT started it yesterday), in an attempt to create a whole new genre of e-books.

Booktrack creates synchronized soundtracks for e-books that aim to "dramatically increase the reader's imagination and participation".

Running technology pairs of notes and sound effects with the text automatically tempo one reading speed. Booktracks can be downloaded for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch and Android applications are on the way. Check Booktrack Bookshelf for books that are available.

The company has teamed up with Sony/ATV music publishing, Park Road Post and full fathom five, and its technology is already fully integrated into the new novel "the power of six", Pittacus Lore (James Frey), published by HarperCollins Children's books.

Booktrack and publishers will share revenue with the participating authors, composers and musicians, the company said in a press release.

Booktrack is based on former PayPal and early investors Facebook (and longtime Board member) Peter Thiel as authors who will cooperate with the company. Other initial investors and advisers Booktrack include Marc d ' Arcy, Director of the global creative solutions on Facebook and Derek Handley, CEO and co-founder of mobile marketing and media company Hyperfactory.

The latter will also serve as Chairman of Booktrack.

Paul Cameron, Booktrack founder and CEO, in a press release compares e books in their present form, with "cinema with not a soundtrack", but I'm not sure I agree with this statement – reading is quite otherwise use the content. I'm not sure the soundtrack makes e-book can be nothing but detract from the experience of reading, actually.

Of course I only briefly tested technology with one Booktrack e books, so I'm not fully made up my mind yet about its potential to disrupt the e book genre.

Wired's Charlie sorrel, for one, thinks the idea stinks. He does a good job, but it isn't (and shouldn't) stop companies from trying, obviously.

In the coming weeks and months Booktrack said he will publish specially curated collection of short stories from some of the best authors around the world, starting in September with "South" of Salman Rushdie. Booktrack release editions of the classics, such as the adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, the three Musketeers, pride and prejudice, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet and more.

I look forward to reading Paul Carr's thoughts on this one.

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Pineapple watches: Watch IPod Nano music player

Biggs is the editor of TechCrunch gadgets. Biggs wrote for the New York Times, InSync, United States at the weekend, popular mechanics, popular science, money, and a number of other outlets for technology and watches. He is the former editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo.com and lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet it here and G + it here. ? Read More

Named as pineapples and trade dress that looks like an iPod Nano with video, cut off, gents watches behind the pineapple is not very well versed in the law of trademarks. But lets for a moment, it will not be a problem.

These watches in seven colors and inexplicably guys take pre-orders at Paypal. Why they don't use Kickstarter is beyond me. However, the styling is quite sharp and beautiful, and they cost about $ 90. The couple, making this is based in Montreux, Switzerland.

Intelligent quartz watch for less than Benjamin? Good enough for me.

Product page

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Panasonic Pocket server streams video and music on your iPhone/iPod touch

Dr. Serkan Toto is currently working as the first and only Asian-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covers with Japan technology and Web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent Internet and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is Saint lingual, holds an MBA and a doctorate in economics. Serkan ... ? Read More

If you like the consumers of the media on your iPhone or iPod touch, which is stored somewhere else, you can take a look at the fact that Panasonic announced [JP] for the Japanese market in recent times. The so-called DY-object ' pocket, is a "wireless streaming video, music and pictures from SD card/SDHC/SDXC for these devices.

Mini server uses IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-FI, comes with a USB port and is just 66.8 × 117 × 13 mm (weight: 82 g). It supports video in MP4, MP3 and JPEG. Panasonic specifically targeted at users of DIGA equipment such as TVs (which can take the SD card from these devices to use DY-object).

The company said 64 GB SDXC card shops, about 88 hours of standard-definition pocket server itself offers 10 hours of battery life.

Panasonic plans to begin selling the device in their Japanese online store only on September 15 (price: $ 195). So far, were declared international sales plans (but the Airstash looks like a good alternative).

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