Broderbund Software Gives Kids a Tool to Help Them Write, Paint and Publish in The Amazing Writing Machine; "Our goal is to inspire young imaginations and get kids excited about writing," -- Harry Wilker, Senior Vice President of Broderbund Studios.NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 1995--Imagine a magical tool that allows kids to transform their innermost thoughts into words. One that lets them easily splash their words and pictures across a page with bright colors and sounds and even sparks their imaginations with fresh ideas. Today, Broderbund Software, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :BROD BROD Big Bike Riders of Dagupan (Motorcycle Club in the Philippines) ) released just such a tool, The Amazing Writing Machine. This inventive writing, illustration and idea-generating program entices kids, ages 6 to 12, to write and publish their own stories, journals, poems, essays and letters. "Our goal is to inspire young imaginations and get kids excited about writing," says Harry Wilker, Senior Vice President of Broderbund Studios, the company's product development division. "Give them the right tools, a bit of encouragement and a liberal dose of whimsical humor, and kids will astound a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, you with their literary and artistic creations." Designed for use on Apple Macintosh Apple Macintosh - Macintosh computers, and incorporating the familiar Kid Pix Kid Pix is a bitmap drawing program aimed at children. Originally created by Craig Hickman, it was first released for the Macintosh in 1989 and subsequently published in 1991 by Brøderbund. interface, The Amazing Writing Machine combines writing, drawing and desktop publishing tools into a single, easy-to-use program. Kids begin their creative endeavors with the Project Picker, which lets them select their writing form: Story, Letter, Essay, Journal or Poem. Once a project is selected, the child can choose between two ways to write. The Write Mode allows the writer to start "from scratch," while the Spin Mode provides clickable clickable adj (COMPUT) → cliqueable clickable adj → cliccabile interchangeable words and phrase that make personalized writing more exciting. Product Features -- Bright Ideas are imaginative story starters that get creative juices flowing with Brainstorms, Quotations, Jokes, and Corny corn·y adj. corn·i·er, corn·i·est Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental. [From corn1. Sayings. Bright Ideas can even suggest answers to the five classic writing questions: Who, What, When, Where and Why. -- Page Shapers allow kids to lay out their creations in over 100 template shapes that range from hearts or clouds to trees or fish. -- Reader Robots read back highlighted words, sentences or passages in any of eight different voices. -- InfoSaurus and Check Spelling help kids search for facts, find word occurrences, review spelling and perform other tasks. -- Secret Codes allow kids to encode projects in any combination of eight secret codes, including Pig Latin (ig-Pay atin-Lay), Caesar's Cypher See cipher. and 80 Rebus Pictures, which transform words into pictures. -- Painting Tools use the award-winning Kid Pix interface to include more than 200 Rubber Stamps (interchangeable with other Kid Pix stamps), loads of Wacky Brushes and Pencils, sound effects and hundreds of colors. -- Poems introduce young poets to four classic forms -- haiku haiku (hī`k  ), an unrhymed Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which nature is linked to human nature. , couplet coupletTwo successive lines of verse. A couplet is marked usually by rhythmic correspondence, rhyme, or the inclusion of a self-contained utterance. Couplets may be independent poems, but they usually function as parts of other verse forms, such as the Shakespearean sonnet, , cinquain cin·quain n. A five-line stanza. [French cinq, five (from Old French cinc; see cinque) + (quatr)ain.] and limerick -- and include a built-in rhyming dictionary. -- Noisy Typing adds to the fun by letting kids type to the accompaniment of drumbeats, singing, galloping horses, electronic music or "Blessed Silence." -- Address Book includes addresses of more than 200 kid-oriented celebrities, organizations and individuals, plus ample room for kids to enter names and addresses of friends and relatives. Address Book entries can be printed on a fold-up sheet that serves as an envelope. -- Secret Password Protection ensures the privacy of kids' thoughts recorded in Journals. Additional CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). Features Coming soon, the CD-ROM version of The Amazing Writing Machine includes nine thematic writing environments that range from Mystery to Adventure, from Romance to Horror. In all, the CD-ROM version will include over 2000 clip art images and Rubber Stamps. The CD-ROM version also allows kids to import Photo CD images into their creations. Printing Whether an essay for school, a letter to a grandparent, or an original story written and illustrated just for the fun of it, projects created with The Amazing Writing Machine can be printed out on most 100% Macintosh compatible black & white or color printers. Some projects can be printed in multiple formats. Cost and System Requirements The Macintosh floppy disk version, now available for approximately $35, requires: a color Macintosh, system 7.0 or higher, 4MB RAM, hard drive and high density floppy drive. The Macintosh CD-ROM version, available soon for approximately $45, requires: a color Macintosh (68020 processor or higher recommended), System 7.0 or higher, 4MB RAM, hard drive, and CD-ROM drive (double-speed recommended). About Broderbund Software Broderbund Software, Inc. is a diversified consumer software company that offers a broad selection of fun, award-winning products for use in homes, schools and small businesses. Founded in 1980, the company is committed to creating imaginative personal computer software of lasting value for every member of the family. -0- Note to editors: Broderbund and Kid Pix are registered trademarks and The Amazing Writing Machine is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Broderbund Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Shannon Jamieson, 415/382-4567 Rina Jackson, 415/382-4569 |
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