[Summary]
After a quiet time in the early 2000s, ebook readers “took off” again,
from the Librié launched by Sony in April 2004 to the iPad launched by
Apple in April 2010. The first dedicated ebook readers were the Rocket
eBook (1998), the SoftBook Reader (1998) and the Gemstar eBook
(November 2000), which didn’t last long. Lighter ebook readers storing
more books showed up with new E Ink displays, for exemple Librié from
Sony (April 2004), Cybook 2nd generation (June 2004), Sony Reader
(September 2006), Kindle from Amazon (November 2007), and Nook from
Barnes & Noble (November 2009). Competition has been fierce with
smartphones (from 2005) and with the iPad from Apple (April 2010). Some
readers are now eager to read multimedia/hypermedia content and stories
in 3D on flexible devices.
***
After a quiet time in the early 2000s, ebook readers “took off” again,
from the Librié launched by Sony in April 2004 to the iPad launched by
Apple in April 2010.
The first dedicated ebook readers were the Rocket eBook (1998), the
SoftBook Reader (1998) and the Gemstar eBook (November 2000), which
didn’t last long. Lighter ebook readers storing more books showed up
with new E Ink displays, for example the Librié from Sony (April 2004),
the Cybook 2nd generation (June 2004), the Sony Reader (September
2006), the Kindle from Amazon (November 2007), and the Nook from Barnes
& Noble (November 2009). Competition has been fierce with smartphones
(from 2005) and with the iPad from Apple (April 2010).
# The Librié (Sony)
Sony launched its first ebook reader, Librié 1000-EP, in Japan in April
2004, in partnership with Philips and E Ink. Librié was the first ebook
reader to use a 6-inch E Ink screen, with a 10 M memory, and a 500-
ebook storage capacity. Ebooks were downloaded from a computer with a
USB cable.
# The Cybook (Bookeen)
After a Cybook 1st generation launched in January 2001 by Cytale as the
first European ebook reader, the Cybook project was taken over by
Bookeen, a company created in 2003 by Michael Dahan and Laurent Picard,
two former engineers from Cytale. A Cybook 2nd generation was available
in June 2004. The Cybook Gen3 (3rd generation) was launched in July
2007, with a E Ink display.
# The Sony Reader
Sony Reader was launched in October 2006 in the U.S. as the first ebook
reader using the latest E Ink screen technology, The screen gave “an
excellent reading experience very close to that of real paper, making
it very easy going on the eyes" (Mike Cook, editor of epubBooks.com).
Another major feature of the reader was its battery life, with over
7,000 pages turns -- or up to two weeks of power – on just one battery
charge. It was also the first ebook reader to use Adobe Digital
Editions. It was available then in Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and
France.
# The Kindle (Amazon)
Amazon launched Kindle, its own ebook reader, in November 2007, with a
6-inch E Ink display, and page-turning buttons. Books could be
downloaded via the device's 3G wireless connection, with no need for a
computer, unlike the Sony Reader. A thinner Kindle 2 was launched in
February 2009, with a storage capacity of 1,500 ebooks and a new text-
to-speech feature. The Kindle DX was launched in May 2009 with a
larger 9.7-inch screen for newspapers and magazines.
# The Nook (Barnes & Noble)
Barnes & Noble launched Nook, its own ebook reader, in November 2009.
Based on the Android platform, the original device included a 6-inch E
Ink display, with WiFi and 3G connectivity. A new WiFi-only device was
launched in June 2010. The Nook Color was launched in October 2010,
with a larger 7-inch LCD display, for the viewing of magazines and
picture books. The website of Barnes & Noble offered 2 million ebooks
in November 2010. A lighter Nook with a 6-inch E Ink tactile display
was released in May 2011.
# The iPad (Apple)
Apple launched the iPad, its multifunctional tablet, in the U.S. in
April 2010, with an iBookstore of 60,000 ebooks. The iPad was available
in a few European countries in June 2010. After the iPod (launched in
October 2001) and the iPhone (launched in January 2007), two cult
devices for a whole generation, Apple has also become a key player for
digital books. The iPad 2 was launched in March 2011 in the U.S. and
two weeks later internationally.
There are many other ebook readers and tablets, but I will stop there.
Some of my friends now wait to read multimedia / hypermedia content and
stories in 3D on flexible devices.