On Monday Amazon announced enhanced edition kindle books for ipad, ipod touch and iphone. These books have embedded audio and/or video. There are only a handful of books that work right now. Most of them include video or audio speeches in the context of a biography.
I picked up Lullaby Baby to try it out. The Amazon description is:
Every new parent, whether musical or not, needs a good repertoire of lullabies. Filled with 50 classic songs, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated songbook lets parents learn each song as they sing along with the melody. The unique sound component makes for a unique package, perfect for sitting by the crib, and also works wonderfully on the road, putting little ones to rest anywhere, anytime. A timeless gift, Lullaby Baby celebrates the joy of sharing music with children.
Kindle Edition with Audio/Video includes:
- 50 well known lullabies
- Written lyrics and audio track
- Full color illustrations
________
And that is all it is, a song book. If you are looking for a song book, with lyrics and a very digital accompaniment track then this is a good option. I thought there might be more in it. The quality of the music leaves something to be desired. It is very digital and it is only accompaniment, no vocals.
I do not think every book would be made better with audio or video. But there are some. Textbooks with video examples or history with news reels or music instruction books are all good examples. This book was ok, but nothing special and certainly not a great example of a new technology.
NOTE: These do no work on a regular hardware kindle, only on an iPad or iPhone.