Although Adobe's Portable Document Format has become the standard for viewing and exchanging digital documents, E-Book Systems, a Singapore-based technology firm, has developed a relatively inexpensive technology that can incorporate multimedia effects into a digital document that can be read very much like a print book.
The technology, called FlipPublisher (www.flipalbum.com), can be used to create electronic documents that not only look exactly like the print version, but also allow the viewer to turn pages and read an e-book sequentially, page by page, rather than scrolling up and down through the document. And the animated page "flipping" comes complete with a paper-page flipping sound and a zoom function.
The application can be used to create fully illustrated electronic publications of all kinds, including novels, textbooks, catalogues, manuals, magazines or brochures. While the company emphasizes FlipPublisher's utility for creating interactive catalogues, Michael Im, director of E-Book Systems business development and strategic alliances, told PW that the company is in negotiations with a number of publishing companies to use the application in varying ways. "We think catalogues are the future for flipbooks," said Im. "You can deliver a richly illustrated flipbook catalogue directly to the customer by e-mail, with e-commerce links built-in. Customers can browse the catalogue and shop right from their e-mailbox."
The company was founded in 1998 and its first product was FlipAlbum, a consumer application that allowed customers to easily compile their photographs into digital photo albums. The company has now added FlipPublisher, a professional version aimed at the business market. "It is analogous to PDF," explained Im, "but it creates a smaller digital document that loads quickly, can be streamed over the Web or downloaded to your hard drive. You move through the document like a real book and it can be read online or offline."
FlipPublisher is aimed at the business market. Companies such as the Dupont Registry (www.dupontregistry.com), a luxury automobile listing, use FlipPublisher to create digital catalogues. E-Book Systems' enterprise division offers FlipPublisher as an ASP service. The company can convert PDF and other documents into the Open Flip format. The company also offers a service to track usage and demographic information for online flipbooks.
E-Book Systems has about 72 employees, including about 20 employees at its U.S. office in Santa Clara, Calif. About 65% of its business is with the consumer market and 35% b2b. Im said, "The business market offers higher margins and we're looking to increase our business clients."
