Adobe Rolls Out Adobe Digital Editions Public Beta

contents

software

Adobe releases the public beta of Adobe Digital Editions, a Rich Internet Application built from the ground up for digital publishing. With native support for Adobe Portable Document Format as well as an XHTML-based reflow-centric publication format, Digital Editions delivers an engaging way to acquire, read, and manage content, including eBooks, digital magazines, digital newspapers and other digital publications. Initially available as a free public beta for Windows, Digital Editions will support Macintosh systems as a universal binary application and Linux platforms, as well as mobile phones and other embedded devices in future versions.

Digital Editions delivers a straightforward user experience for reading and managing commercially-published digital publications. It builds on the Adobe eBook capabilities that were integrated into previous versions of Adobe Reader and takes them further by adding the ability to incorporate Flash interactivity and rich media, enabling publishers to create next-generation digital publications that surpass digital forms of paper books.

Digital Editions natively supports PDF as well as an XHTML-based reflow-centric publication format designed to represent dynamic content that can be easily adapted to different sized displays. In addition, Digital Editions support for Flash SWF will enable new levels of interactivity and rich media delivery. The Digital Editions beta includes integration with Adobe Acrobat 8 and Reader 8, which can install and launch Digital Editions from within their user interface.

Digital Editions will integrate with a new, hosted content authorization service to protect publisher's rights while maintaining superior ease-of-use for consumers. This new Adobe Digital Editions Protection Service, based on Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server, will allow publishers to choose from a flexible array of business models, with user-ID-based authorization that provides an improved user experience over competitive DRM models. Digital Editions also supports Adobe Content Server DRM, delivering full compatibility with existing protected PDF content and infrastructure.

Digital Editions is designed to support a wide range of business models including public domain texts (open content), ad-supported content, library lending and other borrowing/subscription models, and the purchase of eBooks and digital content.

Digital Editions will integrate with a new hosted content authorization service to protect publisher's rights while maintaining ease-of-use for consumers. This new Adobe Digital Editions Protection Service, based on LiveCycle Policy Server, will allow publishers to choose from a flexible array of business models, with user-ID-based authorization that provides an improved user experience over competitive DRM models.

The Digital Editions download is less than 3MB including Adobe Flash Player 9 and typically takes less than two minutes to install over a broadband connection. With an RIA service model, users will have access to the latest version of Digital Editions, so they can take advantage of new features and security enhancements.

Recommended system requirements for the Windows beta are Windows XP Service Pack, 2.500 MHz processor, 128MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen.

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