Britannica Launches App for Windows 8

Encyclopedia, special features in elegantly designed application

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Oct 26, 2012, 05:00 ET

CHICAGO, Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Users of Windows 8 will have a trove of reliable information to go with their new software, in the form of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, now available in an app developed for Microsoft Corp.'s new operating system.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/britannica-launches-app-for-windows-8-175859311.html

The Encyclopaedia Britannica App, available in the Windows Store, provides access to the entire encyclopedia with a sleek and engaging interface, rich illustrations and special features such as Link Map, a graphical browser that connects interrelated articles in a fun and interactive way.

This new digital version of the encyclopedia, the latest in a long line the publisher has created over the past two decades, exemplifies the direction the company is taking today, said Britannica Senior Vice President Gregory Barlow.

"We're mobile, we're digital and we're making knowledge available to people whenever and wherever they need it," said Barlow. "The flexible and app-friendly nature of Windows 8 makes it an ideal platform for our content, and we're delighted to release an app for the new operating system on the day it becomes generally available."

The Britannica app is free to download from the Windows Store. Free content includes 100 top articles and engaging special features such as This Day in History. Access to the full contents of the encyclopedia is available for $14.99 (US) annually.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica has been used and admired by knowledge and information seekers for more than two centuries. Widely praised for its authority and reliability, the Britannica is written by experts and scholars, many of them Nobel laureates. Current contributors include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and tennis great Chris Evert.

"We are thrilled to have the Encyclopaedia Britannica App in the Windows Store," said John Richards, senior director of Windows App Marketing for Microsoft Corp. "The Britannica App is a brilliant example of a publisher taking full advantage of the new Windows 8 platform."

Britannica created the first digital encyclopedia in 1981, the first multimedia encyclopedia in 1989 and the first encyclopedia on the Internet in 1994. Today's Britannica, which is available in a variety of digital forms, is updated continuously, every day.

More about the Encyclopaedia Britannica App is available here. Britannica subsidiary Merriam-Webster, Inc. has also released its dictionary app for Windows 8 today.

About Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. is a global leader in education publishing whose products are available in many media, including online, wireless devices and books. A pioneer in digital publishing since the early 1980s, the company markets a variety of curriculum products for schools, language-study courses, online learning services, encyclopedias and other reference works, management solutions and language products through its Merriam-Webster subsidiary. Many of them are available at store.britannica.com. The company is located in Chicago.

Note: Complimentary access to Britannica's premium content is available to qualified journalists and reviewers.

SOURCE Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.