ReadBeyond releases Menestrello, app for reading+listening EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks
Padua, 2013-11-22
ReadBeyond releases Menestrello, an app designed for reading+listening EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks.
Menestrello is currently available for Android devices on Google Play and the company will release an iOS version by the end of the year.
"In ReadBeyond we strongly believe in the importance of Audio-eBooks, and we were deeply disappointed when we discovered that no commercial-grade app offers good support for reflowable EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks", states Alberto Pettarin, ReadBeyond’s CEO, who continues, "Hence, we decided to build ourselves a suitable home for our wonderful EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks. Our goal was to create the most immersive, yet intuitive, reading+listening experience, while still adopting, and comply with, the EPUB 3 open standard."
An Audio-eBook creates an immersive reading+listening experience, combining the best of two worlds: (text-only) eBooks and (audio-only) professional-narrated audiobooks.
The pre-recorded reading, perfomed by professional voice-over narrators, helps the listener to fully appreciate the text, often revealing nuances that are difficult to spot while “just reading the written words”. However, unlike traditional audiobooks, in an EPUB 3 Audio-eBook the audio tracks can be perfectly matched to the text narrated, enabling interactive features like the synchronous highlighting of the phrase currently read, and the "tap text to play it" function.
Moreover, EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks are reflowable, allowing the reader to change the typography settings of the displayed text (font, size, margins, etc.) to best suit her or his preferences or needs. For example, one of the font included in Menestrello is OpenDyslexic, which helps dyslexic people to read more comfortably.
Several researchers have already demonstrated that the adoption of Audio-eBooks in learning environments can quickly improve the linguistic skills of the learner, especially among kids and in foreign-language classes. Not to mention that Audio-eBooks are fun to read+listen too!
"Today we are proud to make this experience available to everyone, for free, because we love sharing great stories", concludes Alberto.
More information, technical notes, and free EPUB 3 Audio-eBooks are available at the official Menestrello Web page: http://www.readbeyond.it/menestrello/.
About ReadBeyond
ReadBeyond Srl (http://www.readbeyond.it/) develops innovative software to create, distribute, and enjoy digital contents. Italian Startup with headquarters in Padua (Padova), ReadBeyond is the applied research lab currently global leader in Audio-eBooks with synchronized audio/text in EPUB 3 format.
Contact Information
ReadBeyond
words never heard before
Padua (Padova), Italy
http://www.readbeyond.it/
info@readbeyond.it