May 21st, 2010 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Analysis & Editorial | 1 Comment »
Rocco has taken the stage to present their ideas on next generation comic e-readers. PavingWays ltd (Germany) is currently working on a special e-reader called Panda Tosho.
The e-reader they are developing is meant to be device independent, which means they are developing an engine for (every) platform that can read some general document format for comics. As examples, the presentation shows the iPhone, PSP, DS, N97, iPad and Android. The comics can be stored in the cloud and allow both interactivity from the reader as well as alternative endings of the story. An example of interactivity would be the reader switching on the light switch in the comic which triggers the next scene. In the same sense there could be hidden items and bonus content attached to hotspots in the story.
Through community features, readers can connect with each other which means comic publishers will have to think about how they present their comics in a digital format. PavingWays hopes that this approach will lead to a more engaging comic experience.
PavingWays is also looking at the possibility to facilitate a comic store from within their readers, a solution like the one that is available in Marvel’s iPad comic reader. The company is also considering to create tools for artists and making the document format an open format.
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diana