E-book publisher Glassbook Inc. announced an agreement with Adobe Systems to integrate the Glassbook Reader, a software program designed specifically for reading downloadable e-books into the popular Adobe Acrobat Reader for electronic documents. The combined software product will be available later this year.
Unlike other e-book readers, the Glassbook is used to read specially designed e-books in the form of Portable Document Files. PDF files are used in the printing of print books and the files can replicate the actual look of a book onscreen. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is designed for reading documents in the form of PDF files and is available free over the Web (www.adobe.com). Because of their focus on the PDF technology, the two companies have long had a working alliance; the new agreement will combine the two products, adding a Glassbook Reader interface to the Adobe Acrobat program.
Richard Price, spokesperson for Glassbook, told PW that "now anyone downloading the Acrobat Reader will also be able to read PDF e-books." Price noted that the company is also beta testing its Glassbook Content Server software, which will allow publishers to convert their titles into PDF e-books for sale and distribution. The content server is priced at $900 and will be available for sale in the second quarter of 2000. Price told PW that the Glassbook has also added PDF Merchant, an Adobe digital rights management application, to the content server software. PDF Merchant provides encryption protection and an e-commerce standard.
Price noted that like a real book, Glassbook's PDF e-books can be loaned or given away; but also like a real book, the original owner then loses use of that e-book.
