SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.--Oct. 4, 2001--Texterity, Inc., a leading provider of electronic publishing services, today announced TextCafe support for Microsoft Reader 2.0, enabling creation of high-quality eBooks for Pocket PC 2002 and desktop computers. The new service enhances the functionality of TextCafe by supporting the Open eBook (OEB) and Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) standards to automatically create retail-ready eBooks in Microsoft Reader 2.0 "LIT'' format. Microsoft is demonstrating eBooks created by Texterity at today's Pocket PC 2002 launch, including "The Rough Guide to San Francisco'' and "The Rough Guide to London.'' The demonstration titles incorporate Microsoft Reader 2.0 features to provide a superior, immersive reading experience. Texterity has enhanced its automated, volume conversion solution to support the new features of Microsoft Reader 2.0, including: * Support for Pocket PC 2002 - Final, "retail ready'' versions of files tailored to both desktop and Pocket PC 2002 use, with customized images, tables, and "back-link'' navigation aids specifically designed for the mobile user * External web linking - External HTML links and email addresses are automatically recognized and tagged, enabling links to web pages, additional Microsoft LIT and multimedia files * Custom dictionary support - Creation of dictionary LIT files based on the TEI dictionary standard with the Microsoft Dictionary Authoring Kit (DAK) 1.0, enabling the creation of custom dictionaries for travel, scientific, technical, and medical titles, and rapid look-up from any eBook title * Enhanced image support - Tool-based creation of high quality images, graphs, and tables, with `pop-up' zoom features and advanced navigation * Embedded font support - Ability to add font information to LIT files, based on the style sheet automatically generated by TextCafe TextCafe Logistics service automates distribution of final, sale-ready eBooks to distributors supporting the LIT format, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Lightning Source, Overdrive, Yahoo! and Reciprocal. With the TextCafe Logistics Service now supporting Microsoft Reader 2.0, publishers get an end-to-end, standards-based solution with "retail ready'' eBooks completed in a fraction of the time as compared to traditional methods. "We are delighted to see Texterity's support of Microsoft Reader 2.0 in the TextCafe conversion and logistics solution,'' said Steve Stone, General Manager for Microsoft's eBook Business Unit. "Texterity's ability to create rich and exciting eBooks in an automated fashion is key to growing the market, and we believe that their technology will generate more momentum and enable even more titles to appear in Microsoft Reader format.'' Jennifer Gold, Director of New Media for Rough Guides stated, "Texterity's new service allows us to enrich our existing titles with rich linking, multimedia, and imaging content for our travel books and dictionaries. By working with Texterity, we are leveraging our investment in eBooks based on a single version of our content, and taking advantage of the growing eBook market for mobile devices.'' "TextCafe Logistics Service has been expanded to support the features of Microsoft Reader 2.0,'' said Martin Hensel, President of Texterity. "Our customers benefit immediately from our ability to add more value to eBook files. Publishers get a higher ROI by working with experts like Texterity who can quickly integrate new technologies as they become available with no learning curve.'' The TextCafe Logistics Solution with integrated support for Microsoft Reader 2.0 is available immediately.