Maxis Berhad and Alcatel-Lucent unlock Malaysian e-book market by focusing on local language content and wide accessibility

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31, 2012 – With the help of Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext and NYSE: ALU), Maxis Berhad - Malaysia’s leading integrated communications service provider - has launched the country’s first integrated e-book service. In full support of the Malaysian government’s knowledge society program, Maxis Berhad will provide access to an extensive digital library with content in the various (local) languages, and accessible via a wide range of devices.

According to Juniper Research, worldwide mobile e-book sales will represent a market opportunity of $9.7 billion by 2016 (growing from $3.2 billion in 2011). At the same time, however, non-English speaking markets are underserved by the traditional players in this space: many e-readers are only available in a few countries and finding content in local languages typically is a challenge. Malaysia is a “textbook example” of this: a relatively small, multi-ethnic and multicultural society where many different languages are spoken.

Backing the government’s project to continue to develop Malaysia as a leading knowledge society, Maxis Berhad has engaged with Alcatel-Lucent to launch an extensive library of e-books – novels as well as scientific publications – that can easily be accessed via a wide range of devices including tablets, dedicated e-readers and PCs. Currently, the library includes approximately 300,000 international and local books. The total number is growing weekly.

The service runs on Alcatel-Lucent’s cloud-based Digital Media Store (DMS), enabling Maxis Berhad to launch their e-book offering quickly and with limited upfront capital investment. DMS also allows Maxis Berhad to provide recommendations in line with customers’ preferences - bringing consumer engagement to the next level.

T. Kugan, Maxis’ Vice President and Head of Product, Device, Innovation & Roaming: “Maxis has recognized the shift towards digital content and with the launch of Maxis e-books, we are looking at providing Malaysian readers with the hassle-free experience of browsing, purchasing and reading their favourite local and international books on their tablets or PCs. This will also provide local publishers, authors and educational institutions with a formidable platform that makes it possible for them to reach a larger audience.”

Mohd Fazlin Shah Mohd Salleh, President and Managing Director Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia: “This initiative underscores Maxis’ commitment to help Malaysia transform into a true knowledge society. Leveraging Alcatel-Lucent’s Digital Media Store solution, Maxis can deliver a variety of books - including novels and bestsellers, but also educational material - to subscribers across Malaysia.”

New Autodesk SketchBook Ink App Delivers Stunning Creative Tools for iPad

Pen-and-Ink App Offers Vibrant, Resolution-Independent Interface for New Retina Display

MALAYSIA, May 31, 2012 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) launched Autodesk SketchBook Ink for iPad paint and drawing app, the latest release from the company’s popular SketchBook family, which has more than 10 million downloads to date. Powered by a brand new engine, Autodesk SketchBook Ink introduces unique technology for artists to create stunning, high-resolution ink-style artwork. The SketchBook Ink addition to the SketchBook family increases the number of choices available to artists to express their creative visions in a digital environment.Unlike traditional vector drawing apps, SketchBook Ink enables users to produce very fine detail in their artwork, independent of resolution, building on the intuitive freehand-drawing Autodesk SketchBook Pro platform. This new technology also supports the ability to export and print large, high-quality images right from the iPad. Final artwork can be exported at optimal sizes to the photo library on iPad, email, Dropbox, or iTunes file sharing. Images exported to Dropbox or iTunes file sharing can exceed 100 megapixels.“We are fortunate to collaborate with many talented artists, so we know how important it is for them to have a variety of tools for not only different tasks in their creative process, but also to express their personal styles. SketchBook Ink provides more choices for artists. And with its ability to produce high-resolution output, it makes a huge leap for content creation on the iPad,” said Chris Cheung, product line manager, Autodesk.Complementing Autodesk’s popular app for the iPad, SketchBook Pro, which offers a variety of sketching and painting tools, SketchBook Ink is dedicated to pen-and-ink drawing. The inking behavior gives it a distinct feel but builds on the intuitive and familiar interface valued by SketchBook users worldwide. SketchBook Ink launches with seven preset ink styles and two types of erasers. The app supports importing images from the photo library on iPad that can be used as references or backgrounds.
“With more than 10 million downloads to date, we’re proud that the SketchBook family is changing how, where, and with what tools people unlock their creativity. People who never considered using a digital app for their artwork before, are now turning to SketchBook to produce incredible illustrations,” said Samir Hanna, vice president, Consumer Products, Autodesk.The Autodesk SketchBook Ink App is available for $4.99 exclusively from the App Store on iPad or at www.iTunes.com/AppStore. For a limited time at launch, SketchBook Ink will be available for a special introductory price of $1.99.