Microsoft Releases Series of Bilingual Dictionaries and Dictionary Authoring Kit (DAK) 1.0 for Microsoft Reader

By Planet eBook Editor
October 11, 2001

Following on from the just released Microsoft Reader 2.0 and the Read in Microsoft Reader 1.1 Word add-in, Microsoft is now offering for free download it latest eBook-related tool -- the new Dictionary Authoring Kit (DAK) 1.0.

The tool allows publishers to create specialized eBooks for use with Microsoft Reader's "Lookup" tool (see image below), which lets the reader find the meaning of words in an eBook. For readers, this means they will be able to access a much wider, more selective group of reference books most suitable for them, instead of just the standard dictionary that is availble free.

Additionally, Microsoft has released a series of free pocket dictionaries that help demonstrate the new Lookup functionality. They include:

  • English-German Pocket Dictionary
  • German-English Pocket Dictionary
  • English-French Pocket Dictionary
  • French-English Pocket Dictionary

The screenshot below shows the Lookup feature in action with the dropdown list below it allowing the reader to choose which reference book to access -- in this example we're making use of the French to English dictionary.