Press Releases

ACCESS Announces Advanced, Platform-Independent eBook Reader that Supports the EPUB 3 Standard

Tokyo, Japan, — October 13, 2011 — ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, today announced the availability of NetFront^™ BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, a new, platform-independent eBook reader that features support for EPUB^® 3, the latest version of the distribution and interchange format for digital publications and documents developed and maintained by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF).

With its support for the EPUB 3 standard, NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition can faithfully reproduce complex Japanese characters and page layouts, including vertical layouts and logographic kanji characters incorporating furigana annotation. In addition to its support for the EPUB 3 standard, the reader also supports the popular EPUB 2.0.1 standard. NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition is expected to help accelerate the rapidly growing global market for EPUB content.

The reader also includes ACCESS’ leading embedded software technologies while leveraging ACCESS’ extensive digital publishing expertise to provide the most comprehensive eBook reader solution for the Japanese written language.

NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition is based on the WebKit browser engine and supports JavaScript^™ and HTML5, enabling support for web-based video and audio. Advanced technologies developed by ACCESS enhance the portability and performance stability of the reader even in limited memory environments. When memory is low, recovery is achieved with minimum effect on the system to ensure stability, making NetFront Book Reader v1.0 EPUB Edition ideal for smartphones and tablet devices as well as eBook reader devices.

Devices equipped with NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition are compatible with a wide variety of rich eBook content, including novels, comics and magazines embedded with video, audio and complex Japanese characters.

About ACCESS
ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, digital TVs and other networked devices. ACCESS’ product portfolio including its NetFront^™ series provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. Recently, ACCESS has launched NetFront^™ Life as a global brand with applications and services for end users. Additional information about NetFront Life is available at www.netfrontlife.com. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers’ Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit www.access-company.com.

© 2011 ACCESS CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
ACCESS, the ACCESS logo and NetFront are registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries. EPUB is a trademark of the IDPF. Java, all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks, logos and trade names mentioned in the document are the property of their respective owners.