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iBrary?
- Thread starter J@ffa
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That sounds interesting, but I prefer to lay down while i read. Staring at a computer screen to read a book just doesn't appeal to me. But that is just me. I would like to see the outcome of this.
[Edit] That picture doesn't look fake. I am no expert at judging whether pictures have been touched up (or created from scratch), but that picture looks genuine. [/edit]
[Edit] That picture doesn't look fake. I am no expert at judging whether pictures have been touched up (or created from scratch), but that picture looks genuine. [/edit]
I guess you could consider this app part of the "digital lifestyle." I'm not sure if I would use it. Sounds pretty interesting. If it's real, I wonder what kind of release date we would be looking at?
It looked full funcitoning in the picture. I would guess at or before MWSF. No later. But then again, this could all be fake.
Notice the that this is running on a machine with the "Minimise in place" (Someone else made this spot, credit where credit's due). This could also imply this feature appearing in future builds of OS X.
It seems like a strange thing for some one to just make up.
I'm not saving if I think it's real thou
It seems like a strange thing for some one to just make up.
I'm not saving if I think it's real thou
I like that 'minimize in place'.
I was admiring those little screens with the icons. Is that a definite future feature?
I was admiring those little screens with the icons. Is that a definite future feature?
nah I think this is will definitely not happen, because it's not necessary at all. I have several books that are in pdf format and you can look through them in the apple Preview feature. also ebooks never really took off, only a few people really use them so I doubt it would be worth apple's time to devise a "easier" way to read them?? It seems really pointless to me and a waste of development time.
I think this is fake. It definitely could be faked very easily. It has nearly the same interface as iPhoto. Try opening up the iPhoto .nib files in Interface Builder. You need to open the package to get to them. You can see how easy it is to modify them. The .nib files could be opened up, buttons moved, text changed, etc. One suspicious thing is the area at the bottom, where the text is displayed bigger, presumable scrolling. This is exactly the same as the iPhoto toolbar, except without buttons. The other thing that is suspicous is that Project Builder is open, and Interface Builder is in the dock. If this was seeded to developers, chances are they would not be running project builder at the same time.
The final suspicious thing is the name iBrary. If you think about it, all apple iApps haven't integrated the "i" into the word, iPhoto, iTunes, iCal, iDVD, iMovie. In addition if the word has been trimmed, it has always been from the end, making it much more clearer. The only example so far is iCal, but still.
Besides which, it seems useless. I could see them adding the ability to use pdf files in iPhoto. You can open them I believe, but the text isn't editable and so on. As somebody already said Preview is fine for reading pdfs. Nobody wants to read a novel on the computer screen.
The final suspicious thing is the name iBrary. If you think about it, all apple iApps haven't integrated the "i" into the word, iPhoto, iTunes, iCal, iDVD, iMovie. In addition if the word has been trimmed, it has always been from the end, making it much more clearer. The only example so far is iCal, but still.
Besides which, it seems useless. I could see them adding the ability to use pdf files in iPhoto. You can open them I believe, but the text isn't editable and so on. As somebody already said Preview is fine for reading pdfs. Nobody wants to read a novel on the computer screen.
I'm inclined to believe this is a fake; however, if Apple were to be developing a lightweight tablet style computer, this wouldn't be out of the question. As long as it was fairly light, this may not be such a bad idea.
Actually the more I think about it the more I think such a beast could be a winner if the tablet system could be cloned to keep it cheap. Keep the licensing agreement pretty strict as to what the license covers. What this allows is for the possibility of more people getting a taste of Mac OS X even if on a slower system. Being a different product from that of a desktop or laptop system in the eyes of the general consumer would toss out the mhz/speed comparisons to Wintel platforms. All of this would help in bring people over once they begin using the interface and getting a feel for it.
I honestly don't see it happening though because it's not really the hot market unless Apple had market research that states this would change in the near future.
Actually the more I think about it the more I think such a beast could be a winner if the tablet system could be cloned to keep it cheap. Keep the licensing agreement pretty strict as to what the license covers. What this allows is for the possibility of more people getting a taste of Mac OS X even if on a slower system. Being a different product from that of a desktop or laptop system in the eyes of the general consumer would toss out the mhz/speed comparisons to Wintel platforms. All of this would help in bring people over once they begin using the interface and getting a feel for it.
I honestly don't see it happening though because it's not really the hot market unless Apple had market research that states this would change in the near future.
Not to add any creedence to this rumor but...
Am I the only one who remembers hearing Steve Jobs talk about 'speach' on OS X? I don't know if it was @ WWDC 2002 or somewhere else but I'm sure I remember Steve saying something like we are looking for new/better voices for it and we are hiring. I know it was something like that.
Please someone tell me they remember this too (just so I know I'm not totally crazy)
Dave
Am I the only one who remembers hearing Steve Jobs talk about 'speach' on OS X? I don't know if it was @ WWDC 2002 or somewhere else but I'm sure I remember Steve saying something like we are looking for new/better voices for it and we are hiring. I know it was something like that.
Please someone tell me they remember this too (just so I know I'm not totally crazy)
Dave
Re: I like that 'minimize in place'.
Nah, there's already an app which lets you do it. Look for 'minimise in place' at VersionTracker. It was a feature which was going to part of Jaguar, but for some reason they took it out at the last minute. Who knows, they might just bring it back, but for now there's no such sign of that happening.
irmongoose
Nah, there's already an app which lets you do it. Look for 'minimise in place' at VersionTracker. It was a feature which was going to part of Jaguar, but for some reason they took it out at the last minute. Who knows, they might just bring it back, but for now there's no such sign of that happening.
irmongoose
Here's the text from "Jane Doe" on rumortracker's website that says what it "does:"
"This is a screenshot (I was told it was attached to a bug or report) of an Apple iApp currently in development. It's called iBrary, although I'm told it's had several names (including "BookWorm" and "OGReadmore").
It works by browsing a local book repository, a public Internet library, or a global Internet library (dunno which repository) for books or periodicals. It presently uses a format (.ibook) that is a sort of hybrid between eBooks and Audible.com (it seems that Harry Potter is available in this format). You can listen to the recording of the book as you read, since iBrary syncs the book's text with the recording.
I am also told that it utilizes dramatically improved text-to-speech, which suggests that may be a built-in feature of an upcoming OS update. This allows books which don't have soundtracks to be read by the computer, in any of 4 (currently) voices: Storytime, Narrator, Novella, and Anchorman. The synthesis quality is outstanding, seemingly able to handle emotion quite well.
Services are also available which allow you to lookup words in a dictionary or thesaurus, which may have a connection to Sherlock, or be handled within the app. When you click on the curled page corners there is an (OpenGL powered?) animation of the page flipping.
iBrary seems to be aimed toward the education and accessibility markets. I'm told that the app will probably not be ready for MacWorld SF 2003, but is more likely to emerge at the Boston show."
I guess if something could read my textbooks to me while I did something else, that would be interesting. But the voices would have to be waaay better than, say, Fred, or Victoria or those other voice names. LOL Otherwise, I dunno; I am also an "in bed" type of bookworm, myself.
"This is a screenshot (I was told it was attached to a bug or report) of an Apple iApp currently in development. It's called iBrary, although I'm told it's had several names (including "BookWorm" and "OGReadmore").
It works by browsing a local book repository, a public Internet library, or a global Internet library (dunno which repository) for books or periodicals. It presently uses a format (.ibook) that is a sort of hybrid between eBooks and Audible.com (it seems that Harry Potter is available in this format). You can listen to the recording of the book as you read, since iBrary syncs the book's text with the recording.
I am also told that it utilizes dramatically improved text-to-speech, which suggests that may be a built-in feature of an upcoming OS update. This allows books which don't have soundtracks to be read by the computer, in any of 4 (currently) voices: Storytime, Narrator, Novella, and Anchorman. The synthesis quality is outstanding, seemingly able to handle emotion quite well.
Services are also available which allow you to lookup words in a dictionary or thesaurus, which may have a connection to Sherlock, or be handled within the app. When you click on the curled page corners there is an (OpenGL powered?) animation of the page flipping.
iBrary seems to be aimed toward the education and accessibility markets. I'm told that the app will probably not be ready for MacWorld SF 2003, but is more likely to emerge at the Boston show."
I guess if something could read my textbooks to me while I did something else, that would be interesting. But the voices would have to be waaay better than, say, Fred, or Victoria or those other voice names. LOL Otherwise, I dunno; I am also an "in bed" type of bookworm, myself.
Now that could be cool. Real-sounding voices reading a book to you. I would like that. But listening to a book read by 'Fred' (isn't that what the voice is called ) would be increadibly boring. It would nice to have changes in voice if there are exclamation points at the end of the sentence, and other features like that. I look forward to seeing how this program works. I must say, I like the name 'BookWorm' a lot more then 'iBrary'. iBrary is kinda.... dumb.
) would be increadibly boring. It would nice to have changes in voice if there are exclamation points at the end of the sentence, and other features like that. I look forward to seeing how this program works. I must say, I like the name 'BookWorm' a lot more then 'iBrary'. iBrary is kinda.... dumb.
Thanks meghop, I think that quote makes this seem more credible. i like the idea of searching the internet to find a book that can be read to me. That would allow me to multitask my life at a whole new level!
P-Worm
P-Worm
Originally posted by scem0
Now that could be cool. Real-sounding voices reading a book to you. I would like that. But listening to a book read by 'Fred' (isn't that what the voice is called
It says it will sync the Audible.com audio of the reading and the eBooks visual of the book. So, no, it won't be in the computer voice it will be in the more "normal" voice of Audible.com
irmongoose
What I'm wondering though is, if they are going to have books like Harry Potter available, wont they have to have some kind of fee or charge to access books like that? Harry Potter already has a book on tape/cd version out that costs money, so it doesnt make sense that they would give it away for free now on the computer does it?
I smell a fake.
I smell a fake.
Not a chance
This looks like a huge fake to me. The interface is straight from iPhoto, the buttons look like iTunes', and that book looks like someone just scanned it right out of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Furthermore, Jane Doe doubts it'll be ready by MWSF 2003, but by Boston, which if I am not mistaken is 2004, yet she already has a screenshot ready to go, with the app working. I smell a fraud and I doubt this'll happen.
Anyone remember an Apple Patent while back?
Hey guys, I jsut thought I'd add something I remember from a few months back. Does anyone remember a MacRumors article about Apple taking out a patent on some phoenetic technology, TTS stuff? I'm gonna search for it on the site and see if i can find it, but does anyone else remember that?
Hey guys, I jsut thought I'd add something I remember from a few months back. Does anyone remember a MacRumors article about Apple taking out a patent on some phoenetic technology, TTS stuff? I'm gonna search for it on the site and see if i can find it, but does anyone else remember that?
I'd love a tablet mac, one that I could draw on, read books in bed and handwrite notes (previous thread). It could be very cool to use a pen and color tablet & especially cool to have airport in it.
though the brand of books I am interested in (mainly Urban Planning, new Urbanism & Architecture) will probably never hit audible. Now if it also had tic tac toe, hangman & puzzles for the kids on car rides, that would be sweet!
why play gameboy when you can let your kids actually use their minds! I would buy 3 of 'em at that point. (ok, one for me too) I think iTablet could work very very well.
though the brand of books I am interested in (mainly Urban Planning, new Urbanism & Architecture) will probably never hit audible. Now if it also had tic tac toe, hangman & puzzles for the kids on car rides, that would be sweet!
why play gameboy when you can let your kids actually use their minds! I would buy 3 of 'em at that point. (ok, one for me too) I think iTablet could work very very well.