Bookworm

Our inspiration: Tilt Shift photography

We're all avid readers at Human Engines and books have a very physical presence in our lives. As much as we love the convenience of our eBook readers, something is lost when you translate the heft of a book to pixels on a screen. We wanted to put some of the physicality of books back into the eBook experience.

Instead of going literal with book covers and a mahogany bookshelf like so many other eBook apps, we decided to use miniature rendering techniques to fool the eye into thinking tiny books are laid out, just as they would be in a real bookstore when you walk in.

To get this effect, we've created a real-time embedded version of a tricky photographic technique called Tilt Shift that achieves selective focus, often resulting in simulating a miniature scene. Selective focus is used to direct the viewer's attention to a specific area of the image while de-emphasizing the surrounding parts.

Virtual Bookstore

• Fully customizable branded store front with a physical look and feel
• Two dimensional browsing with powerful search and filtering options
• Integrated social features including friend's list and reading groups to promote book discovery
• Share reading lists, book study notes, group book discussions
• Feedback and Rating functionality
• Personalized Wallpapers and Reading lists