Access has developed new ebook reading software called the NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition. It has full support for EPUB 3 in addition to EPUB 2.0.1 and reproduces complex page layouts and Japanese characters (including vertical layouts and logographic kanji characters by incorporating furigana annotation, which was not possible through the conventional EPUB standard). This is the new technology employed in the Kobo Touch that will launch in Japan on July 19th, to better render Japanese characters.
In addition to licensing NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition for the Kobo Touch, ACCESS, as a content aggregator, will provide the viewer engine for EPUB 3 compatible apps. This will be provided for Kobo Touch, Android smartphones, tablets, and Windows PC devices based on the NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition. Kobo plans to steadily increase its catalog in cooperation with ACCESS.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
