Indonesia's First eBook Store Supporting EPUB
TOKYO, Nov. 9 (ANTARA/Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet) --
- Promoting Widespread Usage of EPUB, ACCESS Provides Digital Publishing Platform That Supports EPUB 3 to Telkom Group -
ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software solutions to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, announced on November 9 that it has developed and is now providing "QBaca," an eBook service platform, to PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia,Tbk (Telkom), Indonesia's largest comprehensive telecommunication carrier. QBaca, which is based on ACCESS (TM) Digital Publishing Ecosystem, a digital publishing solution supporting the EPUB (R) 3 format, is Telkom's first eBook store and Indonesia's first eBook service to support EPUB. QBaca is available on Android smartphones and tablets in Indonesia starting on November 9 and will be available on iOS devices by the end of this year.
(Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201211078146/)
Over the past few years, the usage of portable devices and the Internet has rapidly increased in Indonesia. Consequently, demand for electronic services that can support multimedia devices such as smartphones is expected to increase. Telkom, with its subsidiary, Telkomsel, the largest mobile phone operator in Indonesia, has more than 120 million mobile phone subscribers. Telkom views this market trend as a positive opportunity, and regards the expansion of electronic content services as one pillar of its business strategy. As one facet of this, Telkom has launched Indonesia's first eBook store supporting EPUB 3, the latest version of the eBook standard promoted by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), which is gaining prominence across the world.
"There is currently a wide range of eBook standards. EPUB, which is the global standard for eBooks, is an excellent format because of its expandability. We have been able to swiftly launch an eBook service that supports EPUB 3 in Indonesia through ACCESS' technical strength and expertise in the field of electronic publishing," said Achmad Sugiarto, Executive General Manager for Telkom's Multimedia Division. "ACCESS is a global leader in the field of software technologies and is a strong partner for the development of Telkom's business."
ACCESS Digital Publishing Ecosystem, the digital publishing platform developed and provided by ACCESS, provides comprehensive support from terminals to server systems, including eBook viewers, content distribution, ad distribution systems, sales management systems and more. Released last year, ACCESS Digital Publishing Ecosystem has been adopted by many major publishers in Japan and other countries such as Korea, the United States, and Brazil.
"We are very honored to begin offering ACCESS' electronic publishing solutions that support EPUB 3 in Indonesia. The Telkom Group and ACCESS have already engaged in joint development for the mobile ad business," said Nobuya Murofushi, president and CEO, ACCESS. "We expect that the recent provision of our technology will further propel our partnership, and will also bring about synergistic effects for the overall business of both companies. Going forward, ACCESS will support the provision of innovative services by the Telkom Group."
Last year, ACCESS also released NetFtront (TM) BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, an EPUB 3-compatible eBook viewer for smartphones and tablets. The viewer, which conforms to the latest version of EPUB 3 in addition to EPUB 2.0.1, has an exemplary ability to display vertical writing -- which wasn't possible with the traditional EPUB format -- including the Japanese language. The viewer is based on the WebKit browser engine and also supports HTML5, which makes it possible to reproduce eBook content such as novels, comics, magazines, etc. with a rich variety of next-generation online content brilliantly on devices like smartphones. This EPUB 3 viewer technology is also installed in the Readium EPUB 3 Reference Platform, the IDPF's EPUB 3 viewer, and is being established as a de facto industry standard. It has been adopted by major eBook merchants and publishers in Japan, and has also been offered commercially since this summer.
QBaca is an eBook service that supports EPUB 3 and is offered as a store-type eBook app for end-users. It is based on ACCESS Digital Publishing Ecosystem, while the viewer is equipped with NetFtront (TM) BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition. The eBook content mainly includes novels initially published by three major Indonesian publishers. QBaca includes exemplary viewer features that support EPUB 3 and HTML5, as well as functions for searching and cloud bookshelf. The search function makes it possible to search data, including by title or author. In this way, users can search and display their preferred books with just one touch. Furthermore, the cloud bookshelf function for managing individual bookshelves on a network makes it possible to search and display books saved in individual bookshelves according to order in which they are read or purchased, or the series order. QBaca offers both free and paid content, plus freemium content with advertisements. The advertisement distribution system, which was co-developed with the Telkom group, is based on NetAd, the mobile ad service of ACCESS.
For more information about ACCESS Digital Publishing Ecosystem and NetFrontBookReader EPUB Edition, please visit http://gl.access-company.com/products/dpub/.
ACCESS' commitment to promote the widespread usage of EPUB
As an IDPF member corporation, ACCESS works to contribute to the establishment and widespread usage of EPUB. On July 4, 2012, ACCESS modified and provisioned a portion of the core engine of the NetFrontBookReader EPUB Edition -- an EPUB 3 viewer -- for the Macintosh version of the ReadiumEPUB 3 Reference Platform.
For details, please refer to ACCESS' news releases: http://gl.access-company.com/news_event/archives/2012/120712-2/, http://gl.access-company.com/news_event/archives/2012/120712-3/.
For more information about the IDPF, please visit http://idpf.org/.
About PT Telkom Indonesia
PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk. is a State-Owned Enterprise ("SOE") and the largest telecommunication and network services provider in Indonesia. Serving millions of customers nationwide, it provides a strong portfolio of information and communication services, including fixed wireline and fixed wireless telephone, mobile cellular, data and Internet, and network and interconnection services, directly or through our subsidiaries.
The Government is TELKOM's majority shareholder and the remaining shares are owned by the public. Its shares are traded on the Indonesia Stock Exchange ("IDX"), the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), the London Stock Exchange ("LSE") and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (without listing).
About ACCESS
ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global provider of advanced software solutions and services that enable operators, device manufacturers, content owners and consumers to make the most of today's multi-screen, connected world. It provides software for mobiles, smartphones and tablets, connected TVs and set-top boxes in the connected home, automotive, digital publishing and networking markets. ACCESS solutions have shipped in over one billion devices around the world. Its product portfolio includes the NetFront (TM) Software Series and the ZebOS (R) network platform, providing customers faster time-to-market, flexibility and customizability; the ACCESS (TM) Digital Publishing Ecosystem for cloud-based, cross-platform digital publishing and the NetAd mobile advertising platform. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Mothers' Index, 4813) and operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States. www.access-company.com.
(C) 2012 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. ZebOS is either a registered trademark or trademark of IP Infusion Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. EPUB is a registered trademark of the International Digital Publishing Forum in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks, logos and trade names mentioned in the document are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:
Head Office (Japan)
ACCESS CO., LTD.
Miyuki Hanzawa
Tel: +81-43-212-2230
prinfo-gr@access.co.jp
U.S.
Herrick Media
Ursula Herrick
Tel: +1-408-202-0865
ursula@herrickmedia.com
Europe
David Bramley
Tel: +44-20-7486-4900
david@platformpr.com
China
Mike Qin
Tel: +86-10-8417-0824
zhen.qin@access-company.com
SOURCE: ACCESS CO., LTD.
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
