Beyond the book

The Frankfurt Book Fair has always been very attentive and open to new media, from the e-book on. An entire pavilion hosted the Media & Entertainment, where visitors had the opportunity to try the first Wii U games, getting to grips with completely new forms of gaming. Sony unveiled its interactive “Wonderbook“, which is still waiting for its official launch, the Finnish Rovio occurred at the Fair for the first time with its Angry Birds, that after becoming protagonists of the most popular app of all time are now landed also on the e-book world.

There are many proposals for e-learning. Apps for learning languages ​​or other subjects with the smartphone can synchronize audio and written text, the “Chinese Cubes” to learn Chinese while having fun through wooden cubes taken from the webcam and the many applications of augmented reality, which allow various smartphones and tablets to interact with the images or the world around you to get information or additional content (in addition to scanning barcodes or QR to detect text or images, you can find useful information on the geographical location where you are – what is the closest subway station? What do you call this mountain? – Even with GPS functionality for indoor use).

Another important area was dedicated to “cyberclass 3D“. All interested parties were able to experience firsthand how interactive technologies can change the way of transmitting knowledge, for teachers and students. In various forms, consisting of screen plus some chairs, teachers and pupils with 3D glasses you are entertained on subjects of biology, chemistry, art, mechanical engineering, mathematics and physics, explained in three dimensions for a fascinating full-immersion.

The CERN, on a stand stall with a few publications and various computers, presented an interactive “accelerator”, with helpful explanations and entertaining demonstrations of the Higgs Boson and other wonders of physics.