Atiz Innovation, Inc., a company specializing in content digitization, announced the release of BookSnap, the “first consumer book ‘ripper’.” For a mere $1,595, researchers, genealogists and readers have the ability to digitize their collections at a rate of 500 pages per hour. Using OCR (optical character recognition) technology and outputting to PDF format, publications can now be accessed through e-book readers and mobile devices while on the go.
“We designed the BookSnap for people who have always wanted to digitize their personal libraries but haven’t had a viable way to do it – until now,” said Nick Warnock, president, Atiz Innovation. “We sat down and said, ‘Can we innovate reading?’ How do we take what we are doing with our professional products and make a version tailored to the consumer?’ The result gives archival power to everyone, and changes the way people convert and access their books collections.”
The greater-than $1,500 price tag may still be a deterrent for the average consumer, however, we can expect to see distribution of these ‘digital copies’ take off just as we did with the onset of the mp3. In addition, copyright will become a greater issue for publishers as well as those who take it upon themselves to scan and distribute their personal libraries.
Though a consumer-grade book scanner may be the answer for family historians or personal archivists with the intent to preserve and share their microcosmic histories, a device of this kind is bound to cause havoc and we can expect discussions about digital rights management to flourish. The main question that needs to be asked of Nick Warnock, president of Atiz, is “Are you going to take responsibility for illegal content distribution and the lawsuits that follow? Or, are you going to take responsibility for the product you are releasing and become involved in the fight for DRM reform?”
