We’re happy to bring you another exciting update packed with usability improvements, customization options, and new AI tools to enhance the creation and reading experience across Kotobee products.
Kotobee Author
Vertical Zoom Option (Fixed Layout)
For fixed-layout ebooks in Kotobee Author, a new zoom option has been added: “Fit Vertically.” This complements the existing ‘Fit Horizontally’ and ‘Original Size’ zoom options, giving you more control over your workspace.
Customize Book Panel/Popup options
These new customization options allow you to selectively show or hide specific metadata (such as book description, publisher, book language, etc.) in the book’s information panel or pop-up.
The book information panel now also gives you the option to display the date a book was last modified, in addition to its original publication date.
Convert Text to Speech Using AI Voices
You can now generate AI speech from any selected text using multiple voice profiles. This feature helps add narration or accessibility audio with just a few clicks.
Quick Access to Mini-Apps from the Toolbox
For convenience, a Mini-App shortcut button has been added inside the toolbox, which takes you directly to the mini-apps tab in the customization screen.
New “Answers” Tab for Question Settings
A new “Answers” tab has been added to the self-assessment question settings in Kotobee Author. This tab includes all options related to how answers are displayed, such as highlighting correct answers, showing explanations, using popups, inline layout, and toggle buttons. This makes it much easier to configure and manage displayed answers from one centralized place.
Display Answer Choices Horizontally
Within the new “Answers” tab, you can now choose to display answer choices horizontally (inline) rather than vertically. This gives you more control over layout and works well for short options like True/False.
Use Toggle Buttons for Answer Selection
For True/False and Multiple Choice (Single or Multiple Answer) questions, you now have the option to display answer choices as toggle-style buttons instead of standard checkboxes or radio buttons. This provides a friendlier and more modern interface, especially useful for mobile users or interactive learning formats.
Add Read-Aloud Option for Questions
A new play button can be displayed beside any question, enabling it to be read aloud using text-to-speech. This feature improves accessibility and can be particularly helpful for young learners or ESL readers.
Kotobee Library
Open Specific Books in LTI Using a Custom Parameter
When integrating your Kotobee Library with an LMS via LTI, you can now have your library directly open to a specific book by using LTI Custom Parameters. To do this, simply include the book's unique ID as a parameter, such as "book=115485". This parameter can be adjusted for each instance.
Browse Books Within a Library Category
In the library’s categories section, a new “Books” button has been added beneath each category, letting readers instantly browse all books under that category.
Kotobee Library & Hosted Ebooks
Add a Translate Button to the Ebook Toolbar
You can now add a “Translate” button to the ebook’s bottom toolbar. This allows readers to translate book content into the language of their choice. This feature is available for libraries and hosted ebooks only.
Kotobee Library & Kotobee Cloud
Resend Activation Emails to Inactive Users
If some of the users you’ve added to your library or cloud ebook haven’t activated their accounts, you can now easily resend activation emails in bulk to all inactive users. This can be done from the Actions dropdown menu.
Kotobee Narrator
View Total Audiobook Length in Kotobee Narrator
While creating an audiobook in Kotobee Narrator, the accumulated total length is now displayed in the book panel on the left. This will help you track the audiobook’s overall duration.
Kotobee Reader
Show Audiobook Chapter Durations in the ToC
Chapters in audiobooks now display their duration (in minutes and seconds) directly beside each chapter title in the table of contents.
Audiobook Playback Now Includes Visualizer Animation
When audiobooks are played in the reader, a fun sound visualizer is displayed on screen to provide a more dynamic listening experience.
Mini-apps
YouTube Mini-app Now Free for All Users
The YouTube mini-app is now free to download and use. You can get it directly from: https://www.kotobee.com/miniapp/youtube
Platform-Wide
Custom Billing Details
You can now add a custom billing name and address to appear on your invoice emails, offering more control and personalization for your financial documentation. This can be made from the Account Settings under your user menu, inside Kotobee Author. This is especially useful for organizations requiring specific billing information for accounting purposes.
Click on the following link to download the newest version, v1.9.1:
https://www.kotobee.com/products/author/versions
If you have any feedback or special requests for any of our Kotobee products or services, we would be more than happy and grateful to hear them. Feel free to contact us through our website.