Bookeen is a French company dealing with
e-books and
consumer electronics
Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic ( analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usuall ...
.
History
In 2003 after the failure of Cytale (the first European company to make an ebook reader) two former engineers of Cytale, Laurent Picard and Michaël Dahan, bought the intellectual property of the Cytale reading device, the
Cybook Gen1. They founded the company, Bookeen, to produce dedicated ebook reading devices. Their first product was the Cybook Gen1.
The Cybook Gen1 was Bookeen's only product until 2006/2007, when they began exploring
E-ink
Electronic paper, also sometimes electronic ink, e-ink or electrophoretic display, are display devices that mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional flat panel displays that emit light, an electronic paper display ref ...
screens. At the time, E-Ink screens were a new technology and claimed to have a near paper-like appearance that did not cause eyestrain. In late 2007 Bookeen began selling the
Cybook Gen3, their first eBook reader to use an E-Ink screen.
At the end of 2008, Bookeen started to claim future support for the
ePub
EPUB is an e-book file format that uses the ".epub" file extension. The term is short for ''electronic publication'' and is sometimes styled ''ePub''. EPUB is supported by many e-readers, and compatible software is available for most smartpho ...
eBook format. The current firmware supporting it for all models;
however, this firmware can not support the older Mobipocket format. Another firmware with support for Mobipocket is still made available so the user can select the desired format.
The Swedish Internet Book Store AdLibris initiated a cooperation with Bokeen, and started 2010 to sell the "läsplatta" (Swedish for ebook reader) named
Letto
Letto is a Pop Rock band formed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Suma ...
an exact copy of Bookeen, except with Swedish menus and Swedish dictionary. When the frontline model of Bookeen was introduced 2014, the Swedish twin version was also manufactured and sold by AdLibirs in the Scandinavian market. In 2009 they also announced a new product the
Cybook Opus a smaller version of the
Cybook Gen3 but with some improvements: improved shape,
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acce ...
, 1 GB of user memory, and a 400Mhz CPU.
June 2010 Bookeen published a much improved firmware for Gen3 and Opus devices.
In August 2011, Bookeen launched its own
e-book store called BookeenStore.com with ePub and PDF format books, and a selection of free e-books with no DRM. (Note: this site now has DRM.)
In 2014, Bookeen launched the Cybook Muse, the new 6 inches connected ebook reader and later in 2014, the Cybook Ocean, an 8 inches connected ebook reader.
See also
*
Cybook Orizon
*
Comparison of e-book readers
An e-reader, also known as an e-book reader, is a portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading e-books and periodicals. E-readers have a similar form factor to a tablet and usually refers to devices that use el ...
References
External links
Official WebsiteOfficial Books store WebsiteInterview in French of Laurent Picard and Michael Dahan
{{Authority control
Companies based in Paris
Companies established in 2003
Computer hardware companies
French brands