E-book Content Comes Alive with OmniPage from Nuance

Nuance’s renowned imaging technology makes multi-document and multi-language content accessible to Amazon Kindle and other e-books

London, UK, December 2 2009 – Nuance Communications, Inc. a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions, has today announced how Nuance’s OmniPage® 17, the world’s best-selling and most accurate document conversion and scanning application for Microsoft Windows, can optimise the e-book user experience across multiple documents and multiple languages. OmniPage easily turns paper documents, books and newspaper pages into digital documents that can be transferred to and read with the latest generation of popular e-book devices, such as the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader.

OmniPage helps overcome the main barriers to the broader adoption of e-book readers, through the provision of multi-format and multi-language support for the devices. OmniPage includes several document formats for outputting converted documents, which are either specifically designed for or are supported by most e-book readers or e-book-enabled smartphones. OmniPage’s flexibility enables users to scan a document or start with an image or PDF file and convert it into a variety of document formats that can be then transferred to and read on an e-book reader.

These output formats include the RTF, TXT, PDF, LIT and OPF file types that are supported by many e-book readers. Microsoft Reader’s LIT and the XML-based OPF formats are exclusive to OmniPage Professional 17, while the other output formats are also available in OmniPage 17. OmniPage helps make documents even easier to read, thanks to the first-ever “Scan-to-Kindle” feature. This automatically re-formats documents specifically for easy reading and navigating using the Kindle 2 form-factor.

Commenting on the role OmniPage plays in e-books, Steven Steenhaut, Senior Marketing Director for EMEA, Nuance, said: “OmniPage 17 removes the barriers between static paper and easily portable, digital documents that can be read on e-book readers. Given the changing dynamics of how people live and work, OmniPage and e-book readers help unite mobility with document accessibility, whether you’re at home, at work or away on holiday.”

While currently only English language books and newspaper titles can be purchased for Kindle, OmniPage provides multiple-language support through its ability to recognise documents in over 100 Western European languages. This further enhances the appeal of Kindle, and opens up the e-book experience and benefits to even more consumers across Europe.

A further benefit of the tight integration between OmniPage and e-book readers is that when combined, they tackle the most significant historical barrier to the green office — the lack of a practical alternative to the portability and convenience of paper. OmniPage business users have stated how it has helped them dramatically reduce hardcopies of documents, saving precious storage and filing space, reducing physical storage costs and significantly lowering document lifecycle costs. The new version gives a dual meaning to the phrase ‘going green’, first in helping people reduce their reliance on physical paper, and second through the money and time everyone can save by using OmniPage.

With OmniPage, Amazon Kindle users can send their scanned and converted document directly to their Amazon Kindle device with an easy-to-use Kindle workflow. OmniPage’s Kindle Assistant enables users to set up their Kindle workflow with a few steps that can be reused any time they want to convert and send a document to their e-book reader. The Kindle workflow will process the document, create a digital version and send it to the user’s Kindle account. The Amazon Kindle server will ensure the document gets delivered wirelessly and directly to their Kindle e-book reader.

Pricing and Availability

OmniPage Professional 17 is available in the UK and Ireland through Nuance’s network of reseller partners and in the Nuance Online Shop. OmniPage Professional 17 is £249 plus VAT for individual users, with volume discounts available through the Nuance Volume License Program. Upgrade pricing is also available. There is also an entry-level version of OmniPage 17 available at £79.99 including VAT. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.nuance.co.uk/omnipage

About Nuance Communications

Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.

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