Paul & Mark Cameron are the co founders of a startup that has just come out of stealth mode. Booktrack transforms your reading experience by adding a soundtrack to your e-book.
"It's difficult to imagine a movie with no soundtrack. Yet, until today, the technology did not exist to synchronize music and sound within an e-book," says Paul.
The technology has been two years in the making is now available on the iTunes app store. The whole concept is too immerse you in the world of what your reading. Many people read on noisy trains and listen too music to block out outside noises, but these often don't match the mood of your story.
Booktrack e-books plays a suitable pre recorded soundtrack as you read to match the mood and actions taking place in the book. As a door closes, you will hear the slam of a door being shut, as people walk into the room, you will hear footsteps and the music changes as the books mood changes.
But how? We all read at different speeds, so how does the soundtrack match this? It learns, that's right, it learns what speed you read at and matches the soundtrack to your reading speed based on words per minute.
I tested this out and within a page it had learned my reading speed; amazing. As you are reading a pointer will signify at what point the soundtrack is on your page. If you find you are well ahead or lagging behind, merely double tap the screen at the point in which you are and the soundtrack will readjust and amend it's speed.
Surprisingly it worked fantastically, I tested it by downloading the Sherlock Holmes Booktrack, and surely enough as Mrs. Hudson lit the fire, I could hear the fire crackling away and stayed in the background throughout the duration spent in that room. As Holmes unlocks his desk you hear his keys and as the mood changes so does the music from something mellow to a more suspenseful tone.
The Brothers innovative idea attracted the attention of renowned investor & entrepreneur Peter Thiel. The board also includes Mark D'Arcy, the recently appointed director of Global Creative Solutions at Facebook, as well as fellow Kiwi entrepreneur Derek Handley.
I'm not a massive reader of fiction books but really enjoyed the Booktracks and would definitely recommend you take a look and try for yourself, it's one of those which you'll either love or hate. Let me know what you think in the comments, I'll be interested in knowing your thoughts.
