Inkling (http://www.inkling.com) has launched its platform for learning content with immediate availability of its iPad app. It delivers interactive textbooks that feature powerful social collaboration, integrated multimedia, and instant learner feedback.

Inkling is available in the Apple App Store for free, and users can buy individual chapters or entire books at a discount to the print price. Free previews are available for all titles, and prices start at US$2.99 per chapter and $69.99 per book. Rather than replicating a book on a screen, Inkling puts 3-D objects, video, quizzes, and even social interaction right at a student’s fingertips inside the textbook, says Inkling founder and CEO, Matt MacInnis.

Inkling’s sync technology lets students collaborate in real time by sharing their notes and highlights with one another. Students can see comments from their friends and professors right alongside their own notes, making it easy to collaborate side-by-side or across campus. Additionally, Inkling offers:

° Integrated interactive media in every title, such as movies, 3-D objects, and guided tours;

° An user interface that lets you skim readings or jump from place to place in the title, while always keeping track of your progress;

° Interactive formative assessment;

° A search engine that predicts your search as you type.

Inkling announced content development partnerships with major publishers, including Cengage Learning, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, and Wolters Kluwer. The partnerships are centered around joint development of interactive content.