Microsoft Reader

Last updated
Microsoft Reader (E-book app)
Developer(s) Microsoft
Initial releaseAugust 2000;24 years ago (2000-08)
Final release
2.1.1 (Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, XP) 2.6.1 (Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Vista (with Origami Experience Pack or Touch Pack))
2.4.2 (Windows Mobile 6)
Operating system Windows
Type E-book reader
License Proprietary freeware
Microsoft Reader (Document app)
Developer(s) Microsoft
Initial releaseOctober 2012;12 years ago (2012-10)
Operating system Windows (8/8.1/10), Windows 10 Mobile
Type Document viewer
License Proprietary freeware

Microsoft Reader is a discontinued Microsoft application for reading e-books, first released in August 2000, that used its own .LIT format. It was available for Windows computers and Pocket PC PDAs. The name was also used later for an unrelated application for reading PDF and XPS files, first released with Windows 8 - this app was discontinued in 2018.

Contents

E-book Reader

Microsoft Reader file format
Filename extension
.lit
Developed by Microsoft
Initial releaseAugust 2000;24 years ago (2000-08)
Latest release
2.4.1
August 2012;12 years ago (2012-08)
Extended from .chm
Standard No

The e-book reader was available for download from Microsoft as a free application for computers running Windows and on PDAs running Pocket PC, where it has been built into the ROM since Windows CE 3.0. [1] Microsoft Reader was compatible with Windows Mobile, but was not supported on newer Windows Phone 7 devices.

Microsoft Reader displays books in the .LIT (shortened from "literature") format, an extension of the Microsoft Compressed HTML Help format to include DRM. [2] These e-books can be purchased and downloaded from online stores.

The notable features of Microsoft Reader are ClearType for increased readability on small screens, highlighting and doodling designed for quick note-taking, text notes, and searching. The PC version also has an optional plug-in for text-to-speech, enabling books to be read out loud.

Companies such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com partnered with Microsoft to provide books in the format when released in 2000. [3]

In August 2011, Microsoft announced they were discontinuing both Microsoft Reader and the use of the .lit format for ebooks at the end of August 2012, and ending sales of the format on November 8, 2011. [4]

Compatibility

Operating systems Latest versionRelease date
Windows 95 1.5 2000-08-08
Windows NT 4.0, 98, 2000, Me 2.1.1 2003-06-26
Windows XP, 2003, Vista (with Origami Experience Pack or Touch Pack), Home Server, 2008 2.6.1 2007-07-10
Pocket PC 2000 1.0 (in ROM)2000-04-19
Pocket PC 2002 2.4 2005-03-24
Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5.0 2.4.1 2005-11-23
Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 2.4.2 2009-09-10

Copy protection

Books accessible by Reader can be protected, or unprotected, only allowing access to protected books if the user has activated the software. This can be accomplished by registering using their Passport account. Only six Reader installations can be activated per account, after which, Microsoft requires the user to request further activations.

Creating .LIT files

Read in Microsoft Reader is an add-on, available from Microsoft, that can be used with Microsoft Word (versions 2000, 2002 and 2003) to create .LIT extension e-books. [5] This software is not fully compatible with Office 2007.

Version history

Desktop

Version Operating systems Release dateMajor changes
1.5 Windows 95, NT 4, 98, 2000, Me 2000-08-08Initial version for desktops
2.0 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP 2001-10-03Major overhaul
Supports premium eBooks
2.5 Windows XP 2002-06-25Support for Tablet PC
Pen and Ink features
2.1.1 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP 2003-06-26Security update
2.6 Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Vista Ultimate Edition (with Origami Experience Pack or Touch Pack)2007-07-09Audible support for newer audio formats
Security and performance updates

Pocket PC

Version Operating systems Release dateMajor changes
1.0 Windows Mobile 2000 2000-04-19Initial version for Pocket PCs.
2.0 Windows Mobile 2002 2001-10-03Compatible with Windows Mobile 2002
Major overhaul
Supports premium eBooks[ clarification needed ]
2.2.1 Windows Mobile 2002, 2003 N/A
2.2.22003Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003
2.2.32004-02-04Fixes activation problems
2.3 Windows Mobile 2002, 2003, 2003 SE 2004-07-13Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003 SE
2.42005-03-24
2.4.1 Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5, 6.0 2005-11-23Compatible with Windows Mobile 5 and 6
2.4.2 Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5, 6.0, 6.1 2009-09-10Compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1

Read in Microsoft Reader

Version Operating systems Release dateMajor changes
1.1 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP 2001-09-04Initial version with support for Word 2000, 2002
1.1.3 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Vista, Home Server, 2008 2006-02-21Conversion support for Word 2003. Supports Word 2000, 2002, 2003. Incompatible with Office 2007

Software Development Kit

Version Operating systems Release dateMajor changes
1.5 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Vista, Home Server, 2008 2001-10-04Initial version

Text to Speech

Version Operating systems Release dateMajor changes
1.0 Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Home Server 2005-05-19Initial version

Third party

Notable third-party apps and tools to convert and read MS .LIT format on various devices include:

Document viewer

In 2012, Microsoft released a Microsoft Reader Metro-style app with Windows 8 for reading documents in PDF, XPS and TIFF formats. Reader was included in Windows 8.1 and was a free download from the Windows Store for Windows 10. Support for Windows 10 Mobile ended in 2016 in favor of opening PDF documents within the Microsoft Edge [Legacy] browser. [6] Microsoft discontinued the application in February 2018, as PDF reading functionality was moved to Edge [Legacy] on desktops as well. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Word</span> Word processor

Microsoft Word is a word processing program developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25, 1983, under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including: IBM PCs running DOS (1983), Apple Macintosh running the Classic Mac OS (1985), AT&T UNIX PC (1985), Atari ST (1988), OS/2 (1989), Microsoft Windows (1989), SCO Unix (1990), Handheld PC (1996), Pocket PC (2000), macOS (2001), Web browsers (2010), iOS (2014), and Android (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Office</span> Suite of office software

Microsoft Office, MS Office, or simply Office, is an office suite and family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. The first version of the Office suite, announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988 at COMDEX, contained Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint — all three of which remain core products in Office — and over time Office applications have grown substantially closer with shared features such as a common spell checker, Object Linking and Embedding data integration and Visual Basic for Applications scripting language. Microsoft also positions Office as a development platform for line-of-business software under the Office Business Applications brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal digital assistant</span> Multi-purpose mobile device

A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a multi-purpose mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. Following a boom in the 1990s and 2000s, PDA's were mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of more highly capable smartphones, in particular those based on iOS and Android in the late 2000s, and thus saw a rapid decline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocket PC</span> Obsolete type of personal digital assistant comparable to smartphones

A Pocket PC is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile operating system, which is based on Windows CE/Windows Embedded Compact, and that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 2000 as a rebranding of the Palm-size PC category and was marketed until 2007. Some of these devices also had integrated phone and data capabilities, which were called Pocket PC Phone Edition. Windows "Smartphone" is another Windows CE based platform for non-touch and non-PDA devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Acrobat</span> Set of application software to view, edit and manage files in Portable Document Format (PDF)

Adobe Acrobat is a family of application software and web services developed by Adobe Inc. to view, create, manipulate, print and manage Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Windows CE, later known as Windows Embedded CE and Windows Embedded Compact, is a discontinued operating system developed by Microsoft for mobile and embedded devices. It was part of the Windows Embedded family and served as the software foundation of several products including the Handheld PC, Pocket PC, Auto PC, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 and others.

Microsoft Compiled HTML Help is a Microsoft proprietary online help format, consisting of a collection of HTML pages, an index and other navigation tools. The files are compressed and deployed in a binary format with the extension .CHM, for Compiled HTML. The format is often used for software documentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handheld PC</span> Computer that is significantly smaller than a laptop

A handheld computer, also called a palmtop computer, is a term that has variously been used to describe a small-sized personal computer (PC) typically built around a clamshell form factor and a laptop-like keyboard, including: Palmtop PCs, personal digital assistants (PDA), ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) or portable gaming PCs. The brand Handheld PC specifically is a now-defunct class of computers introduced in the 1990s that was marketed by Microsoft, and is detailed below.

Open XML Paper Specification is an open specification for a page description language and a fixed-document format. Microsoft developed it as the XML Paper Specification (XPS). In June 2009, Ecma International adopted it as international standard ECMA-388.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows SideShow</span> Former feature by Microsoft

Windows SideShow was a feature by Microsoft introduced in Windows Vista to supply information such as e-mail, instant messages, and RSS feeds from a personal computer to a local or remote peripheral device or display. SideShow was intended to enhance the Windows experience by enabling new mobility scenarios for the Windows platform and by providing power saving benefits as part of Microsoft's broader efforts regarding a mobile initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia PC Suite</span> Software to connect mobile devices to a PC

Nokia PC Suite is a discontinued software package used to establish an interface between Nokia mobile devices and computers that run the Microsoft Windows operating system. Its first release was in 1997, originally called Nokia Data Suite. It was replaced by Nokia Suite and integrated into the Ovi service suite.

Mobipocket SA was a French company incorporated in March 2000 that created the .mobi e-book file format and produced the Mobipocket Reader software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) and desktop operating systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zune software</span> Media management software by Microsoft

Zune is a discontinued software program that was developed by Microsoft for Windows that functions as a full media player, library, media streaming server, mobile device management, and interface for the discontinued Zune Marketplace. The software is used to sync with all devices with Zune functionality including the Zune 4, 8, 16, 30, 80, 120, Zune HD, Windows Phone 7, and Microsoft Kin. Zune devices work exclusively with the Zune software, which applies many design principles of Microsoft's Metro design language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatra PDF</span> Free and open-source document viewer for Windows

Sumatra PDF is a free and open-source document viewer that supports many document formats including: Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Compiled HTML Help (CHM), DjVu, EPUB, FictionBook (FB2), MOBI, PRC, Open XML Paper Specification, and Comic Book Archive file. If Ghostscript is installed, it supports PostScript files. It is developed exclusively for Microsoft Windows.

The following is a comparison of e-book formats used to create and publish e-books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovi (Nokia)</span> Former Internet services by Nokia

Ovi was the brand for Nokia's Internet services from 2007 to 2012. It was designed to be an umbrella brand as Nokia attempted to expand into software and Internet services instead of just mobile hardware. Ovi focused on five key service areas offered by Nokia: Games, Maps, Media, Messaging and Music.

Bluefire Reader is an e-book reader application for Android, iOS and Windows operating systems that supports white-labelling. It supports the EPUB and PDF formats for digital publications and incorporates facilities for browsing online catalogs, and downloading them directly into the user's personal library. The application features a library that lets users navigate their collection of eBooks, as well as provides a customizable reading experience through configurable font and background color, font size and type, margin size, display brightness, page turn mode, etc. Additionally, the application allows users to import their own books to read them on the go.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MobiOffice</span> Computer program

MobiOffice (Formerly OfficeSuite) is a proprietary cross-platform office suite application developed by MobiSystems. It has versions for Android, iOS and Microsoft Windows (PC) and has compatibility with the most frequently used Microsoft Office file formats. The software has over 220 million downloads on Google Play and is among the top Android business applications.

References

  1. "Rugged Handhelds and PDAs". Rugged PC Review.com. 2000-04-19. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  2. Salomon, David; Motta, Giovanni; Bryant, David (CON) (2009). Handbook of Data Compression (5th ed.). Springer. ISBN   978-1-84882-902-2.
  3. "B&N, RH and S&S in deal with Microsoft | the Bookseller".
  4. "Microsoft Reader". Microsoft . 2005-10-12. Archived from the original on 2005-10-12. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  5. "Download details: Word 2002/2000 Add-in: Read in Microsoft Reader 1.1". Microsoft . 2004-08-31. Archived from the original on 2004-08-31. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  6. "Microsoft to end PDF Reader development, wants you to use Edge - OnMSFT.com".
  7. Waghray, akshay (2017-11-21). "Microsoft to discontinue its PDF Reader App in February 2018". Windows Latest. Retrieved 2023-07-04.