VANCOUVER, British Columbia--May 8, 2006-- NewspaperDirect has today announced that through an important new technology relationship with Microsoft, its publishing partners will now have an opportunity to reach the emerging mass market of typically young and technology savvy subscribers who wish to read news and access content while on the move. NewspaperDirect is one of the first companies to work with Microsoft to bring media content to the new category of Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPC), formerly code named Origami. Alex Kroogman, NewspaperDirect's CEO, comments: "Our publishing partners will be at the very forefront of a real-time content delivery revolution that is bound to accelerate rapidly with this mobile technology." At present NewspaperDirect has hundreds of newspapers, providing content as a part of the NewspaperDirect 'family' of products. Mr. Kroogman says, "We expect the number of newspapers to quickly grow. At present most of the world's largest publishers work with us -- we now want to reach many more newspapers at the regional and local levels." NewspaperDirect's PressReader software allows readers to download and store, on a UMPC device, issues of their favourite newspaper title from amongst NewspaperDirect's growing list of publishing partners. UMPCs operate on a full version of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition software, allowing users to access all their familiar applications including Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer. UMPCs are lightweight and designed to meet multiple information and technology needs including: email and web access, viewing photos, playing music, watching videos and doing everything else you've come to expect from your PC. With initial devices having a seven-inch screen, it is both mobile and practical. "Ultra-Mobile PCs are an exciting new category of devices that will give people a full PC experience that fits in their hands," said Otto Berkes, general manager of the Ultra-Mobile PC group at Microsoft Corp. "We're glad to have NewspaperDirect developing PressReader for UMPCs. It's a natural fit for people with a mobile lifestyle who want their news on the go."