Information Today
Volume17, Number 3 • March 2000
Barnesandnoble.com and Microsoft to Create eBook Superstore

Barnesandnoble.com, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have announced that they will create a barnesandnoble.com eBook Superstore using Microsoft Reader software. According to the announcement, this e-book initiative will provide barnesandnoble.com’s millions of customers with access to thousands of e-book titles through Microsoft Reader, a new software application designed to deliver an on-screen computer-reading experience that rivals that offered by traditional paper-based text.

Barnesandnoble.com and Barnes & Noble, Inc. have signed agreements with Microsoft to develop and market the Microsoft Reader eBook Superstore. Barnesandnoble.com will create the store on its Web site (http://www.bn.com) by the middle of this year, offering titles that will run on Microsoft Reader software. Barnes & Noble will aggressively market the new e-book store through a variety of promotional activities in its more than 1,000 retail stores nationwide.

“The combination of barnesandnoble.com’s online strength and Barnes & Noble’s dominant retail presence will make Microsoft Reader available to tens of millions of book consumers in a matter of months,” said Dick Brass, vice president of technology development for Microsoft.

“This collaboration is a concrete declaration of support by two industry leaders for the future of e-books,” said Steve Riggio, vice chairman of Barnes & Noble. “The technology of Microsoft Reader provides a superior reading experience for existing content and, as important, will generate an exciting wave of electronic publishing that will go far beyond books. Barnesandnoble.com plans to be at the center of what will surely be a huge market for digital content of all types.”

Microsoft Reader is the first product to include ClearType display technology, a Microsoft innovation that reportedly greatly improves font resolution on LCD screens for users of Windows desktop or laptop PCs, as well as dedicated reading devices. In addition to incorporating the latest ClearType technology, Microsoft Reader strictly adheres to the traditions and benefits of fine typography. According to the company, it provides a clean, uncluttered display; ample margins; full justification; proper spacing, leading, and kerning; and powerful tools for bookmarking, highlighting, and annotation. Microsoft Reader is expected to ship in the first half of this year.

Source: Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, 425/882-8080; http://www.microsoft.com.


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