>From the web site http://www.prodworks.com Press Release International Companies Announce Support for the Open eBook Standard Last Updated: March 30, 1999 | PW Home Page | March 30, 1999 - Trenton, NJ. Today The Productivity Works of Trenton, New Jersey, USA, Labyrinten Data AB, of Sweden, and VisuAide of Quebec, Canada, announced support in their products for the Open eBook standard as expressed in the Open eBook specification. A key element of the Open eBook Initiative has been the specification for eBook file and format structure based on HTML and XML, the languages used to format information for Web sites. The goal of the specification is to quickly create a critical mass of compelling content. A publisher will be able to format a title once according to the specification and the content will be compatible with a wide variety of reading devices. "Today's announcement brings a new dimension to the Open eBook Initiative by providing tools to incorporate audio into eBooks as well as making this new dimension of eBooks available via software players and hardware playback devices." noted Ray Ingram, executive vice president of The Productivity Works. He continued by saying that "the eBook specification has been created to encompass many styles of usage. Combining audio with the text, as well as supporting reading of the books using synthetic speech, allows the broadest audience of users, including those with visual or reading problems, excellent access to this new format of material." The Productivity Works (www.prodworks.com) and Labyrinten (www.labyrinten.se) co-develop and market the LpStudio/PLUS, LpPlayer, pwWebSpeak, and pwTelephone products, all of which will provide support for the new Open eBook specification. VisuAide (www.visuaide.com) develops and markets the VICTOR digital audio book reader. LpStudio/PLUS provides a recording, editing, and production tool to add synchronized audio into eBooks. LpPlayer is a specialized software player and book navigation for eBooks and other format electronic books that include synchronized digital audio. pwWebSpeak is a non-visual Web browser that will include support for eBook formats, including synchronized audio, and pwTelephone is software that will allow services to deliver eBooks in synthesized speech or digital audio, directly over the telephone by linking to eBooks located on Web Servers. The VICTOR digital audio book reader is a CD-based reader that provides for navigation around books, book marking, and other facilities that make the listening to digital audio versions of e-Books pleasant and effective. The ability to utilize page numbers and other book navigation attributes are also directly supported within the VICTOR. Gilles Pepin, president of VisuAide, commented that "the Open eBook initiative combines publishers, booksellers, audio book distributors, and software and hardware manufacturers. This provides the opportunity for a very broad range of materials to reach new audiences quickly that have so far generally been excluded access to such materials. The VICTOR provides an ideal reading and audio navigation device for the eBook materials published with digital audio. Contacts: All media inquiries: Open City Communications, 212-714-3575 or opencity@aol.com Ray Ingram, The Productivity Works, Inc. ingram@prodworks.com 609-984-8044 Gilles Pepin, VisuAide Gillesp@visuaide.com 888-723-7273 ---------- The Productivity Works Joins in Efforts to Create Open Standards for Accessible Books Last Updated: March 30, 1999 The Productivity Works is involved in several groups working to create open standards for accessible electronic books. These efforts include the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Digital Talking Book Standard, the Daisy Consortium's Digital Talking Book System, and now, the Open E-Book group. Our involvement in these groups is based on one guiding principle: that the formats for electronic books must be based solely on open, publicly available, international standards. To that end, we have worked diligently to recommend and promote the usage of open standards such as those of the World Wide Web Consortium. NISO Digital Talking Book Standard The NISO Digital Talking Book Standard effort was initiated by the US Library of Congress' National Library Service in 1997. A diverse working committee consisting of representatives from user groups, government, industry, and library organizations has been working to define this standard, which is based upon XML with SMIL. Daisy Talking Book System The Daisy Consortium Digital Talking Book system is based upon HTML, XML, and SMIL. In partnership with Labyrinten Data, The Productivity Works has been working with the Consortium to develop the standard and to implement authoring and production tools. In addition, Labyrinten and Productivity Works are developing a number of playback and authoring tools that support Daisy and other standards. Open E-Book The Productivity Works undertook participation in Open E-Book in February of 1999, with the stated interest of ensuring that Open E-Book would be both accessible and compatible with the existing standards activities of NISO and Daisy. The first public working draft of the Open E-Book specification was published on 29 March 1999. Comments by The Productivity Works on the current working draft are available. Other Activities The Productivity Works actively participates in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and continually evaluates how developments in web protocols and formats can benefit the development of open standards for accessible books. The Productivity Works supports the work and recommendations of the W3C. Copyright (c)1996-1999 The Productivity Works, Inc. mailto:info@prodworks.com ---------- End of Document