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Monday, May 4, 2015

Amazon Updates Textbook Creator App

A major update for the Kindle Textbook Creator app has made the platform more useful, according to blogger Nate Hoffelder. The updated app allows educators to embed video and audio files in e-textbooks and now supports pop-up images.

“I’ve tested the app and I can confirm that you can embed audio,” Hoffelder wrote for Inks, Bits, & Pixels. “The app freezes while the media is being embedded in the project e-book file (it takes a while), but then it unlocks and lets you move the audio icon or video window around. You can also change the media’s title or description.”

Amazon added new options for building a table of contents and using a checkbox to choose which pages are added to the table of contents. Kindle Textbook Creator is specific to the Kindle platform but creates e-books that can be read on the Kindle app for Android, iOS, PC, and OSX.

“Amazon already sold digital textbooks and now they are also making it easier for educators to publish their own textbooks on the Kindle platform,” Hoffelder said. “It’s hard to say what is coming next, but I think we can expect Amazon to make a play for schools and the curricula market.”