Narrator 2.0 Coming Soon

Narrator 2.0 was publically unveiled in Tokyo at the Tokyo International Book Fair July 9-12. This software will become available in September.

From the end-users point of view, Narrator 2.0 offers:

• A choice of English or Japanese interface
• Synched audio and text
• An instantly accessible built-in dictionary (English and English/Japanese options)
• Links from the text to internet pages or to images embedded in the story
• Links built into live Google Maps
• Built-in GPS technology using Google Maps
• Animated illustrations and graphics
• Effects such as emails arriving on the device, chat messages, etc.
• An intuitive interface consistent with that of other iPhone apps (same icons used, familiar app workflow)
• User can have subsequent audio files (only the first two chapter files download at first) download "in the background" (default) or they can manually download files from the chapter index
• Support for specific dictionaries on a "per story" basis (e.g. Oku no Hosomichi has a built in Kanji-Hiragana dictionary) that have the definition displayed on the same page being read.

From the publisher's point of view, Narrator Studio 2.0 (the authoring tool):

• Supports synching PDFs and MP3 (or AAC) files through a simple "import the files, play the audio, and tap the space bar at the right time" interface
• Supports incorporating animated illustrations
• Supports incorporating maps
• Enables the user to upload content to Hey Mac servers where they can be viewed by those who own the app for purchasing

Under the hood, Narrator Studio 2.0:

• Uses PDFs created in Apple's Pages or MS Word
• Automatically supports hyperlinks created in Pages (hyperlinks created in Word are not automatically recognized but can be added afterward via Pages)
• Supports animated images (JPEGs, PNGs, PDFs, etc.)
• Supports javascript (for animation, timed events, etc.)
• Narrator-formatted books use a simple proprietary file format based on a zipped collection of resource files and a master file
• Master file is a structured text file using Apple's Plist format

Support for Narrator and Narrator Studio 2.0

• Email support in English and Japanese to Narrator (app) end users
• Narrator Studio user documentation available in English and Japanese
• English and Japanese phone and email support to Narrator Studio users
• Hey Mac customization services available - to add functionality you require
• On-site (as needed) support available in English and Japanese for publishers in Tokyo and major North American centres