The Rocket eBook was launched in 1999 by NuvoMedia, in Palo Alto,
California, as the first dedicated ebook reader. Founded in 1997,
NuvoMedia wanted to become "the electronic book distribution solution,
by providing a networking infrastructure for publishers, retailers and
end users to publish, distribute, purchase and read electronic content
securely and efficiently on the internet." NuvoMedia's investors were
Barnes & Noble and Bertelsmann. The connection between the Rocket eBook
and the computer (PC or Macintosh) was made through the Rocket eBook
Cradle, which provided power through a wall transformer, and connected
to the computer with a serial cable.