“Download eBooks at your fingertips”
Bookeen introduces the Cybook Orizon
The new touch-screen, WiFi-equipped ebook reader
photo: M. Grigoriev
Bookeen, the European leader of the ebook reader market, will launch its next-generation reading device, the Cybook Orizon in mid-October. Suggested retail price is 229.99€.
Thinner than a newspaper and lighter than a book (245 g – 8.6 oz), the Cybook Orizon boasts a non-glare, multi-touch screen with reading quality close to that of paper.
Thanks to its integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, the Cybook Orizon lets you very easily download your book in a few seconds.
Its sleek lines (it’s just 0.29’’ – 7.6 mm thick) give book lovers an elegant tool for a unique reading experience.
The Cybook Orizon was developed in its entirety by Bookeen’s engineering teams in France.
A new generation of ebook reader, packed with innovations
Turn the pages with your fingertips. The screen incorporates “Caress touch ePaper” technology. “For a long time, we’ve been trying to incorporate a touch technology that didn’t compromise the screen’s readability. With Cybook Orizon, it’s a done deal. No glare at all, the Cybook Orizon stays readable in full sunshine.” announced Michel Dahan, cofounder of Bookeen. “Just touch the page lightly, and everything becomes simpler, more intuitive.”
Annotate, highlight text to remember key points as you read, adjust the character size simply by moving your fingers, thanks to the screen’s multi-touch capability. “We wanted to make a reader you can use as soon as you get your hands on it. So for us, it was simple: make it multi touch from the beginning,” says Bookeen cofounder Laurent Picard. “Thanks to the touch screen, you’ll find it’s easy to use, and a pleasure to interact with.”
All that technology is packed into a device the thickness of a magazine. “Getting it down to 0.29’’ (7.6 mm) was a true technical challenge. Our engineers worked hard to make it that thin and at the same time adhere to the highest standards of durability,” Michael Dahan points out. “The result is better than expected. We managed to build the thinnest ebook reader in the world.”
Your books immediately available
The Cybook Orizon has a built-in WiFi module. You can download a book in a minute or so without having to use your computer. “With Cybook Orizon, we wanted to give users immediate access to books directly from Cybook. For premium content, we did a lot of work on buying dynamics to make the process extremely simple for the user,” says marketing director Jean-Luc Satin. Cybook Orizon is a real alternative to American competitors, but this time with a European based catalogue.”
Bookeen will address all major European countries. Bookeen will bring every local Book catalogue to the Cybook Orizon, enabling European customers to buy their books in their own language. To enable his European bookstore, Bookeen collaborates with major players in digital book distribution in Europe.
We will begin with France. French customers will enjoy access to most of the French digital catalogue: 25,000 titles issued by 185 publishers.
The same set will be rolled out at the end of the year in many European countries, such as Italy and Spain.
The Cybook Orizon allows direct access to a catalog of free books, and 150 classic books are embedded for the user to discover and enjoy reading on the Cybook Orizon.
Internet access: surf the net unrestricted
The Cybook Orizon is also equipped with an unrestricted web browser that allows you access the web site of your choice with no limits, and download content that’s readable on your device.
The Cybook Orizon will be available for pre-order starting September 25 at bookeen.com and retail partner sites.
New information will be available in the next few weeks via www.bookeen.com, Facebook and Twitter.
The Cybook Orizon will be available in black and white.
About Bookeen
Bookeen European leader of the ebook industry develops and markets ebook readers in over 70 countries. The founders, Laurent Picard and Michael Dahan, engineers and book lovers, participated in the development of the first electronic book in 1998. In 2003, they created Bookeen, and in October 2007 successfully launched their first ePaper based ebook reader, Cybook Gen3. Since then, Bookeen has enjoyed uninterrupted growth. At its Paris facilities, Bookeen brings together an R&D team known worldwide for excellence and innovation. In October 2010, Bookeen will launch the Cybook Orizon, the first touch-screen ebook reader with built-in WiFi, which offers simplified access to ebooks. Bookeen plans to extend its book download service to all European countries in which they operate by the end of the year.
Data Sheet : Bookeen Cybook Orizon
Size 6’’
Screen
Monochromatic – 16 grayscale
Touch screen epaper- SiPix technology
Résolution
800 x 600 pixels – 167 dpi
Memory
2 GB (1,500 to 2,000 books)
Maximum storage capacity
1 microSD memory card slot (8 GB max; up to approximately 8,000 titles)
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (802. 11 b/g/n)
Bluetooth (2.1+EDR)
Micro-USB port
Synchronization with PC
Yes
Synchronization with Mac
Yes
Audio/video functions
Reads the following text formats : Adobe ePUB/PDF (with or without DRM), TXT and HTML files; photo formats: (16 level greyscale) : JPEG, GIF and PNG
Plug-in port
Micro USB 2.0
Additional content
150 books included.
Power supply
Rechargeable (via USB cable) lithium-polymer battery
Battery life
Up to 10,000 consecutive pages / approximately 3 weeks
Multi-touch Screen
Bookeen touch interface
Multi-touch function to enlarge or reduce character size with the fingertips
Annotation, note taking, and highlighting functions
Direct access to content download platform
Additional book reader 3.0 software features
-Motion sensor (automatically adjusts to portrait or landscape mode),
- Right- and left- hand interfaces
- 12 font sizes, extra fonts available
Dimensions (l x w x h) en mm
(4.9’’x7.5’’x125.7 x 189.49 x 7.6 mm
Net weight (grams)
245
