For those who’d like to gift an ebook, there is a new site that has come up and is worth a look. The result of a partnership between Constable & Robinson (C&R) and e-book service ValoBox, giftanebook.com will allow users to buy an ebook and then send it to anyone they wish to via the site. The service is unique in that it is not tied to any of the specialized ebook reading app that we know of. Instead, recipients will be able to read the books via their browsers itself instead of an ebook reading app. The books can be read on a PC, smartphone or a tablet device after having downloaded the same on the host device. Further, the books can be read even in the absence of an active internet connection.
“Sharing newly read books and favourite authors with friends and family is what readers love to do. Our partnership with ValoBox, through the IC Tomorrow Digital Innovation Contest, will now allow readers to do just that in a way that is personal, not digital; enthusiastic, not algorithmic,” said Rob Nichols, digital and communications director at C&R when speaking of the latest development.
There are about 2,000 titles that are on offer from C&R that can be picked up. Constable & Robinson can be counted among the oldest publishers that is still operating under its original name, having been in operation since 1795.
Anna Lewis, co-founder of ValoBox too is excited of the venture saying, “Digitisation has made books more accessible than ever, but some of the magic associated with gifting and sharing those reading experiences has been lost. You can hand someone a paper book without giving them instructions on how to open it, or worrying if they have the right reading device. This partnership with C&R has given us the opportunity to address this and match both the thoughtful process of giving a physical book and the delight of reading one.”
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.