The first time former U.S. vice president Al Gore issued his warning about the dire state of our environment, he used the traditional format of bound paper. To follow up on his first book and explore some of the renewable energy solutions that are being built today, Gore turned to a new interactive book platform that expands the definition of the word “book.”
Gore’s new book, Our Choice, is available as a traditional book. But it’s also a universal iOS app and the first to be built with a new interactive book platform created by Push Pop Press. That Gore turned to iOS for his title isn’t particularly surprising, given that he sits on Apple’s board of directors.
In app form, Our Choice is both a book and a fluid media experience, mixing the narrative with photos, documentary footage, audio commentary from Gore, interactive charts, and more.
Our Choice returns to the cautionary tale of global warming and environmental disaster that permeated Gore’s first title, An Inconvenient Truth. It also explores a number of technologies and solutions that are being developed and, in some cases, implemented to help combat the problem.
From the demo video embedded below, Push Pop Press’ platform looks like a deeper and more polished version of the interactivity we’ve seen in some iPad magazines like The Daily and Wired. And speaking of polished experiences, Push Pop Press was co-founded by Mike Matas, a noted designer who’s worked for Delicious Monster and Apple on interfaces like Delicious Library, the iPad’s Photos and Maps apps, and Time Machine in Mac OS X.
You can pick up Our Choice now in its iOS flavor for just $5, which gets you a universal copy for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. You’ll need iOS 4.2 to read run it. Check out a video of the app in action below.
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