Access unveils new e-book reader

Allows users to highlight body text, insert bookmarks and add notations

Access has unveiled new NetFront Book Viewer EPUB Edition v1.0, a mobile e-book reader that displays both vertical text for character-based Asian languages such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese, and traditional horizontal text. It supports EPUB, the free and open e-book standard developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF).

The company said that the new offering enables operators, mobile manufacturers and content providers to utilise the library of existing e-book content compliant with EPUB, allowing them to enter the expanding e-book business in Asian markets.

According to Access, the new e-book reader is based on its NetFront Browser, an internet browser for mobile and beyond-PC devices. It includes features such as the ability for users to highlight body text, insert bookmarks and add notations while reading. It joins the company's lineup of e-publishing offering that includes NetFront Book Viewer v2.0 for text and comics, NetFront Book Builder authoring tool and Keitai Booker's Japanese e-book store.

Tomihisa Kamada, president, CEO and co-founder of Access, said: The global e-book market is expanding rapidly. Access has proven expertise in this market with the e-publishing ecosystem we have developed in Japan that provides not only software tools for authoring and viewing, but also Keitai Booker's e-book store as a delivery solution. We intend to leverage our cutting-edge mobile technologies and industry experience to help grow e-book markets around the world.

The NetFront Book Viewer EPUB Edition v1.0 is expected to be available for operators, handset manufacturers and content providers in global markets in early 2010.

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