Kate Russell, tech reporter for BBC's Click has reviewed the Bold iPad app for FutureBook: research suggests that there will be 6 billion eReaders in circulation by 2014 – so love them or hate them they are here to stay. But even though I am a technology journalist & self-confessed gadget-addict, I have to say I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to books. I just love the physical history of them; the smell and the feel of it when you pick one up. You can judge how much a book has been cherished by the cracks in its spine and dog-eared corners – and I have some pretty well-loved books squirreled away on my bookshelves. For me, eBooks are robbed of that essential character and offer nothing else in return – until now.

In a bold move that resonates too well with the title not to draw attention to, BOLD: How to be brave in business & win, publishers  Kogan Page have cottoned on to the fact that you can do a lot more with an iPad than just display text. In support of the book they have released a free app, developed in partnership with the authors. The app provides an interactive insight into the way your company is run and compares it with the leading multinational brands studied in the book. Given how much we expect from our technology in pretty much every other area of life, it’s good to see an independent publisher pushing the boundaries of what tablet technology has to offer publishing, to try out new concepts like this.

The app itself is very simple and well presented. You run through a quiz that asks you to rate your company’s performance in eight key areas, and then review your profile to see how you compare against the big boys. Up until this point there isn’t anything going on here that you can’t do on paper – and if you’ve already bought a hard copy of the book you’ll find a chapter at the back which allows you to do exactly that. But I can’t deny that tapping on the screen with all the geeky number crunching hidden away behind a slick, colourful interface, is a much more rewarding experience than making scribbles in the back of a book. Plus the app offers a couple of extra features that are really, rather nice.

Once you’ve had a look at what you need to work on, the authors offer direct suggestions tailored to your profile, in five key problem areas. If that taster has whet your appetite for more, the last page of the app suggests chapter-specific reading to help improve your working practises. You can even tailor the recommendations to your role in the company, be that marketing, HR, executive leadership etc. Just rip out a chapter (digitally speaking of course, I can’t imagine getting away with that in a bookshop) or buy the whole book, it’s up to you. If you end up getting the whole book after shelling out for a couple of chapters then the price will be reduced accordingly, so if something sparks your interest you can’t really lose. There’s no download either; just authorise the payment through your iTunes account to unlock the chapter.

So, this is an interactive app that actually brings something extra to the eReading experience? We’re getting close, but I am not yet convinced enough to throw off my attachment to books. Or at least I wasn’t until Apple brought out the latest version of its eReader for the iPad – which now allows eBooks to have a pictorial layout similar to coffee-table volumes, and even supports embedded hyperlinks, like you find everywhere else on the web. BOLD the eBook has taken full advantage of this technology through its integrated eReader, which makes exploring the recommended chapters just the beginning of a rich media journey through all that modern technology has to offer; a journey that ultimately started with the free iPad app.

My battered old copy of Charlotte’s Web might smell great and bring back fond memories of hiding under my duvet when I was supposed to be going to sleep; and it will always have a place in my heart and on my bookshelf. But I have a feeling I won’t be buying many more bookcases, as the eBook has finally got something more to offer me than memories.

Use of technology:  A

Quality of Content:  A

Value:  Free