From:  nick@ipian15.ipian.msk.su (Nickolay Anatcky)
Subject: smart book
Reply-To: nick@ipian15.ipian.msk.su
Organization: IPIAN
Date: Fri,  4 Sep 92 12:42:35 +0300 

                                                   Smart Book Ltd
                                            12-3-135 Zaharova str
                                             115569 Moscow Russia

                                     tel (095) 390 8452, 433 8477

(Draft proposal and motivation of contract
for preparing  user's  texts
in form of Smart Book Diskettes)

    Dear Sir,

    Please find on the next page  the  prospect  of  our  company  and
explanations  what  a product the Smart Electronic Book diskettes are.
You may also ask for DEMO diskette of Smart  Electronic  Book  at  our
representative  Mr  Jim Salter (the address is below).  It is our hope
that such diskettes with various  texts  and  language  pairs  may  be
useful  as  part of any language training.  At the moment 3 samples of
classical Russian prose are available ($20 for each):

    "The Queen of Spade" by A.Pushkin;
    "The White Poodle" by A.Kuprin;
    "Kashtanka" by A.Chekhov.

    These texts have universal value and that is why  we  have  chosen
them  first.  But  they  are  useful for rather experience students of
Russian.

    To meet the needs and specifics of the training  courses  in  your
office,  we are ready to prepare in form of the Smart Electronic Books
the texts you would like to order.  To start with it may be any  texts
in  Russian  (and  its  translation  in  English) 50-100 Kb long.  The
possible terms are as follows.  The charge about $2000 for  each  text
with your unlimited right to copy,  sell and distribute diskettes,  or
$10,000 with your exclusive write to sell and distribute.  These terms
are  temporary and may be changed during negotiations.  We may discuss
your orders also for other language pairs.

    Perhaps you will find useful to receive regularly some  review  of
Russian  periodicals in form of Smart Book Diskettes.  For example the
shortened month review of "Moscow News" weekly  could  be  such  Smart
Book Periodical.

    At the moment our interests in USA are represented by

    Mr Jim Salter, president of
    COLOR QUICK professional printing
    770 Walnut St, Macon, GA 31201
    tel 745 5501, fax 742 0121

    Thank you for the attention to our proposal.

    Sincerely yours
                                           Alexander Gofen

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                              Smart Book Ltd
               12-3-135 Zaharova Str, Moscow 115569, Russia
 Representatives: Mr. Alexander Gofen, tel. (095) 433 8477, 390 8452
         Mr. Nickolai Anatcky, E-mail: nick@ipian15.ipian.msk.su

    The firm  produces  THE  SMART  ELECTRONIC BOOKS,  i.e.  specially
packed bilingual texts of well-known fiction written on diskettes  for
IBM  PC.  The  purpose  is  to  make  the process of reading and words
learning as easy as possible.  Such Electronic Books reading may be  a
part of any language teaching process.
    THE SMART ELECTRONIC BOOKS make the studying of foreign  languages
easy  and  pleasant.  When  a  student  is  reading  such books either
tiresome searching in the dictionary or  difficult  selecting  of  the
convenient  meaning  from  the  different usages is no more necessary.
(Searching a word in Russian dictionary may  be  especially  difficult
for foreigners who doesn't know different forms of the same word).
  While reading the user can:
 - look the context-dependent translation for every unknown word;
 - add  the  larger  context if needed;
 - scroll  the  text  in  the  native  or  foreign  language,  in  the
traditional or in special format,  when any text line  on  the  screen
represents a closed phrase or logically finished part of it;
 - collect unknown words in files for farther studying.
    This system  does  not  aim to provide for the reader all possible
usages for an unknown word.  Instead the reader has as a  prompt  just
that  single  meaning that is actual for the context (it is the reason
why the reading process is so easy).  Nevertheless if the full article
of  the  dictionary entry point is also needed,  the user may purchase
one of electronic dictionaries systems available on the market and use
both systems concurrently.
    Suppose, some resident program providing  access  to  full  enough
bilingual  dictionary  is loaded.  Running the SMART BOOK after it the
user can call also the full  article  from  this  dictionary  for  any
unknown  word  and  therefore  learn  the  ALL  usages of this word or
expression.  The  same  way  if  a  program  for   pronouncing   words
highlighted  on  the screen through the internal speaker is available,
it adds the option to make the prompt sounding.
    Some future  electronic  resident  dictionaries  based  on  CD ROM
technology may incloud many pictures and  animation.  Then  the  Smart
Book reading process also will provide prompts with video clips.
    Such systems are much more expensive in comparison with the  Smart
Books.  However  the  user  should  purchase  them  only once for many
purposes and for different Smart Books.  The advantage  of  the  Smart
Book  is  possibility  of  easy  link  with  the mentioned perspective
commercial systems.


Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU