Knowledge in Your Time.
Smartbooks Inc., through April Dream, announces its vision for "Smartbooks," a service that adds audio to books. Aiming to redesign access to knowledge in Japan, where reading habits are declining, it offers a new reading experience that fosters deeper understanding through simultaneous audio and text during "multitasking time" such as commuting or housework.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 17:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 09:04
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 03:40 (498h 36m after Collected)
## 🔳 Redesigning Access to Knowledge by Adding "Voice" to "Words" in Books.
Our company supports April Dream, an initiative to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is the dream of Smartbooks Inc. (Representative Director: Henli Aiuchi).
We are announcing the future we want to realize.
## ■ The Challenge: Not "Cannot Read," but "Stopped Reading"
In Japan, it is said that about half of the population does not read even one book a month.
However, this does not mean that "more people cannot read."
It means that "more people who can read have stopped reading."
## 🔳 Is Your Time Just Flowing Away?
## ■ We Have Time. The Way We Use It Has Just Changed.
During commutes, travel, and housework.
We already spend a lot of time.
However, that time is often replaced by other information, such as social media and videos, rather than "time spent on knowledge."
If that time were to transform into time for understanding, thinking, and acting,
Reading would surely return to our daily lives.
## ■ Knowledge in Your Daily Life with "Multitasking"
Our company supports April Dream, an initiative to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is the dream of Smartbooks Inc. (Representative Director: Henli Aiuchi).
We are announcing the future we want to realize.
## ■ The Challenge: Not "Cannot Read," but "Stopped Reading"
In Japan, it is said that about half of the population does not read even one book a month.
However, this does not mean that "more people cannot read."
It means that "more people who can read have stopped reading."
## 🔳 Is Your Time Just Flowing Away?
## ■ We Have Time. The Way We Use It Has Just Changed.
During commutes, travel, and housework.
We already spend a lot of time.
However, that time is often replaced by other information, such as social media and videos, rather than "time spent on knowledge."
If that time were to transform into time for understanding, thinking, and acting,
Reading would surely return to our daily lives.
## ■ Knowledge in Your Daily Life with "Multitasking"