Pune-based publishing house MediaNext Infoprocessors Pvt. Ltd has announced plans to bring augmented reality (AR) colouring books for kids to India for the first time. We saw the exciting potential of augmented reality colouring books when Disney announced its plans to release one and now MediaNext is bringing them to India.
AR technology was first used in books for kids by Russian firm Laboratory 24 who released them under the brand name Devar Kids. Businesswire India reports that MediaNext has now acquired sole publishing and distribution rights for Devar Kids books in India. Rather than featuring iconic Disney characters, these AR colouring books star more general characters for kids to colour in, from dragons to puppies and fairies. On the surface, the books look perfectly ordinary and kids can use any medium they like to colour the pictures, it’s when they download and use the Denvar Kids app that the magic happens.
When used with the books, the app brings the characters on the page to life on a smartphone or tablet screen. The characters don’t just walk around, either, kids can play with them and take pictures with them. One book that features cars can be turned into a racing game at the click of a button.
Managing Director of MediaNext, Abhay Kulkarni, said of the books: “At a time when kids are getting addicted to video games and social media, augmented reality has the power to bring them back to books. It can act as a tool to bridge the gap between video games and books.”
The two books that have already been released are available exclusively through Amazon.in but MediaNext plans to release 19 AR colouring books in the near future under the brand name Menakabooks and they’ll feature a wide variety of themes.
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