Catch the sun

The world's first book with NFC technology integrated inside

The oldest known contactless connectivity technology dates back 2000 years to the Han dynasty in China (206 BCE-220 CE). In that era, the Kongming lantern was invented: a small hot air balloon used primarily for transmitting military signals. The balloons made it possible for the first time in history for people to connect to others over large distances. The development from the very first contactless connectivity technology - the balloon - to the latest high-tech innovations in contactless connectivity took 2000 years.

The Kongming balloons have today been replaced by chips. Near Field Communication, or NFC, provides wireless connectivity over short distances based on semiconductor technology. This book links both technologies together. Catch the Sun is the world's first book with NFC semiconductor technology integrated inside, while the content of this high-tech book is about the beautiful magic of low-tech ballooning. The book has multiple NFC chips inside that allow the book to connect to the internet, simply by touching an NFC-hotspot in the book with your NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet.

Use NFC technology in this book to:
*download the title song Catch the Sun

*watch video clips

*learn more about NFC

*share your experience via social media

*program an NFC-chip yourself with the help of your smartphone and the right app (learn more)

About the author:

Han Nabben, the author of this book, earned his balloon license in 1995 and in 2011 he wrote the book 'Lichter dan lucht, los van de aarde' (Lighter than air, free of the earth) on early aviation history. In daily life, Han works at a semiconductor company in the Netherlands. In this book Catch the Sun he realized his early idea of using NFC semiconductor technology to connect the book to the internet, thus being able to use the different strengths of both media.