Hi All,

I thought those interested in e-books might find the following of 
interest.  Announcements like this underscore why it is important to have 
accessibility from the beginning.  It is unfortunate that Microsoft Reader 
is not compatible with screen reading technology today with no confirmed 
time table from Microsoft when we might expect accessibility in the 
product.  The e-book will be a reality sooner than later in my opinion and 
again we have to ask if people with disabilities will be included or 
excluded from the technology.

Kelly

Microsoft, Amazon to Sell E-Books
3:49 p.m. ET (1949 GMT) August 28, 2000

SEATTLE (Reuters) — Software giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) and top online 
retailer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN.O) on Monday said they are teaming up to 
sell digital books in the latest boost to the electronic alternative to 
paper and ink.

The deal will give Amazon a custom version of Microsoft's Reader software 
for downloading and displaying text on a personal computer or handheld 
device, the companies said.

That is a major step by Amazon, the No. 1 Internet bookseller, toward 
opening a digital bookstore and making its debut in the nascent industry.

The Seattle-based company would launch such a store in the future and was 
busy lining up thousands of titles for the grand opening, Lyn Blake, 
general manager of Amazon's book division, said in an interview.

Microsoft believes deals like the one with Amazon will convince publishers 
to roll out digital books quickly. In fact, the company thinks 100,000 
titles could be for sale by the end of next year.

"We think its very important to ramp up very quickly the number of titles 
so e-books aren't seen as sort of a toy or niche,'' said Dick Brass, vice 
president of technology development at Microsoft.

"It's important to go to publishers and evangelize the importance of 
e-books and the opportunities that exist,'' Brass said in a telephone 
interview from San Francisco where the announcement was made.

It is the latest such deal for Microsoft, which earlier this month 
partnered with Amazon rival Barnesandnoble.com Inc. (BNBN.O) to kick off 
the first major online store selling digital books.

Financial terms of the latest transaction were not disclosed, but Brass 
said Microsoft would collect a "very small'' single-digit royalty from 
Amazon for each book sold using its software, which is given away for free.

Shares of Microsoft were unchanged at $70-5/8 while those of Amazon 
reversed earlier gains to fall $1-1/8 to $38-13/16.

Although digital book sales make up only a minute fraction of the industry 
total, they have built momentum in recent months as high-profile authors 
like horror writer Stephen King start making some works available online.

Brass cited analyst reports that estimated digital book sales could reach 
$3 billion a year by the end of 2005, accounting for 10 percent of total 
book revenues.

"We certainly think that's possible,'' Brass said.

Microsoft has made a high-profile push of its Reader software, which uses 
its "ClearType'' technology to make letters on a computer screen much 
sharper than usual, relieving strain on the eyes and making text easier to 
read.

The software also lets users bookmark their place in a text, highlight 
portions of a book, or make notes.

In other e-book news that showed Microsoft and Amazon rivals weren't 
standing still, Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE.O), the largest maker of Web 
publishing software, said it was buying Glassbook Inc., a privately held 
developer of consumer and commercial software for distributing and 
displaying digital books.

Adobe, which makes the popular Acrobat Reader software for PCs, also said 
it was expanding its partnership with Barnesandnoble.com to offer more 
e-book titles using its technology and that of Glassbook.

"By leveraging the personnel and technology strengths of Glassbook, Adobe 
will continue to develop products and services that give customers an eBook 
experience that is unsurpassed,'' Joe Eschbach, vice president of Adobe's 
ePaper division, said in a statement.

Shares in Adobe rose $3-13/16 to $132-11/16 while those of 
Barnesandnoble.com dipped $3/16 to $3-3/4.
Kelly Ford
http://www.teleport.com/~kford/index.html


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