Course Technology PTR and Sideways Create First Enhanced Digital Photography Application for the iPhone and iPad

BOSTON and CLEVELAND, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Technology PTR, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of professional, technical and reference materials, and Sideways, a software company that transforms publications into immersive experiences on the iPad, iPhone and Touch, today announced the availability of David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Companion App for the iPhone and iPad.  The application guides photographers through all aspects of using the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D camera.  Now available for download in the iTunes Store, the application is the first in a series based on Course Technology PTR's bestselling David Busch camera guides.

"We are always looking for new ways to better reach and serve our customers, and this new application, leveraging the expertise of bestselling author David Busch, allows us to create an exciting new resource for them," said Greg Clayton, Vice President, Cengage Learning. "Our photography customers are a tech-savvy and mobile group who often use their cameras on the go, so this application, along with our books and pocket-sized field guides, provides a complete photography solution featuring high quality content to help them point and shoot."

"David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Companion App is the next best thing to having David instruct users in person on how to operate the camera," said Charles Stack, CEO and co-founder of Sideways. "David and Course Technology PTR are ideal partners for our first foray into gadget guide iPhone and iPad apps.  David's unique technique and skill enable us to show off all the multimedia features and functionality that Sideways' apps can deliver.  The Sideways platform allows for the deconstruction of the epub format and a reconstruction that allows the user to find his or her own path through the content, making the guide accessible in new ways.  The result is an immersive and instructive experience."

The application utilizes content from David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Guide to Digital SLR Photography, and Busch's wealth of experience working as a professional photographer for more than 20 years and his in-depth knowledge of digital SLR cameras. The application boasts a range of features, such as instructional videos, photos and other interactive, multimedia elements designed to engage and inform the user.  Other features include:

• 3D guide to camera controls (iPad version)
• Interactive command cards that help readers navigate camera menus
• Instructions on Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D set-up, fine-tuning and advanced functionality
• Tables, graphs and other information to help relay information such as shutter speed and exposure at a glance
• Instructional videos featuring David Busch

In addition to David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Companion App and line of best-selling camera books (available as print or ebooks), Course Technology PTR will be introducing a line of compact, portable field guides, designed for easy use on the go – the manner in which most photographers use their digital cameras.  The field guides, which will cover multiple digital and digital SLR brands and models, will be available starting later this year.

David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Companion App is available in the iTunes store for $14.99 at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/david-buschs-canon-eos-rebel/id402834643?mt=8. A demo of the app can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1xtDfpjYE.  Additional applications for David Busch's other best-selling guides will be available in the future.

About Cengage Learning and Course Technology PTR

Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. Course Technology PTR (Professional – Technical – Reference) was formed in 2001 as the retail division of Course Technology. The Course Technology PTR imprint provides learning solutions for hobbyists and professionals interested in learning more about business, digital photography, music technology, game development, animation, graphic design, programming, certification and a variety of other how-to and technology topics. For more information please visit www.cengage.com or www.courseptr.cengage.com.  

About Sideways

Sideways transforms print into immersive experiences on digital tablets and mobile devices. Leveraging unique multi-media capabilities, Sideways goes beyond ebook functionality, changing storytelling and the way we consume books and magazines.  Developing original content with forward-thinking publishers and authors, the company's publishing platform augments text with rich media, adds multiple levels of reference, and enhances reading with mobile features and social media. Sideways takes advantage of interactivity to enrich both the solitary and social experience of reading – from fiction and non-fiction to "how to" and guides. Additionally, Sideways is the creator of Author App, a mobile application for authors designed to build their brands, engage their fans and expand their presence. Based in Cleveland, Sideways was founded in 2010 by Charles Stack and Eliza Wing. Stack started the first online bookstore in 1992 – Books.com – which was acquired by Barnes and Noble. Wing was formerly the CEO of Cleveland.com and editor at Rolling Stone, Books.com, and New York Woman.  For more information, visit www.sideways.com.

About David Busch

With more than a million books in print, David D. Busch is the world's #1 selling digital camera guide author, and the originator of popular digital photography series like David Busch's Pro Secrets and David Busch's Quick Snap Guides. He has written nearly two-dozen hugely successful guidebooks for a wide variety of digital camera models, as well as many popular books devoted to dSLRs, including Mastering Digital SLR Photography, Second Edition and Digital SLR Pro Secrets. As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. He's operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings-for-hire, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and upstate New York college. His photos and articles have been published in Popular Photography & Imaging, The Rangefinder, The Professional Photographer, and hundreds of other publications.

SOURCE Sideways