Bookeen's blog gets a new home!

We are happy to announce that our blog is getting a fresh look and a new home. From now on, follow all our news at this address : http://bookeen.com/blog/

Thank you for reading !

Best regards,
Bookeen Team

And as always, you can join the discussion on twitter and on facebook.

On May 7, Cybook OPUS comes in 7 new colours with upgraded features, for the ultimate in eBook democratization!

Bookeen is happy to announce that the Opus in 7 new colours will be available in stores starting May 7.



It’s the same Opus so many of you know and love, but better. You can still carry up to 1000 books in a mere 150 grams, or up to 8000 more by adding an optional microSD card; enough to carry your entire library in the palm of your hand. The accelerometer means it’s equally comfortable in your left hand or your right hand, and lets you switch between portrait and landscape displays automatically. You still have the choice of 12 different font sizes, to suit everyone’s eyes and preferences. And it’s still compatible with most major online booksellers so you can easily load it up with any of the millions of classics available or recent best-sellers in a couple of clicks.

Now, improved battery life means up to 15 days or 8500 pages on a single charge. Go from “zero” to “reading” in 1 second thanks to the new sleep mode, and start reading instantly whenever you have a few minutes available; no more waiting 15 seconds to get back to your book. And of course, a bouquet of beautiful new colours to choose from. In addition to the classic white, on May 7, the new-look, enriched-feature Cybook Opus will come in 7 colours: black, silver, blue, red, pink, green and orange.

What’s your favourite colour?

Happy reading!
The Bookeen Team

The discussion continues on facebook and twitter.

Roses and books

This article was first posted on MobileRead.com forums, it is re-posted here, slightly edited, with permission.

Today is World Book Day. This international event organised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) got its start in Spain in 1923, where the commemoration of Miguel de Cervantes' death by local booksellers combined with the celebration of St. George's Day to create a new traditional exchange of flowers and... books.

The intent of World Book Day according to the UNESCO:
By celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.

According to the official site:

23 April: a symbolic date for world literature for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. The success of the World Book and CopyrightDay will depend primarily on the support received from all parties concerned (authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media), who have been mobilized in each country by UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations, Associated Schools and Libraries, and by all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors.

Last year a member of the MobileRead forum proposed we try to think of ways to make ebooks part of the celebration: for example, going back to the original Catalan tradition of booksellers offering a rose for every book purchased, and florists giving a small book with every rose purchased, and men offering roses to women who reply with a book, he proposes that we might give virtual roses for ebook purchases, or perhaps we could send e-roses to authors we appreciate (provided their work is available as an ebook, obviously!). Sounds like a nice idea to me!

Here is one way of making a virtual rose that you can send in an email or on twitter:
--'--,--{@

Feel free to share in the comments if you have any other suggestions.

How will you and your Cybook celebrate World Book Day? Who would you like to send a rose to? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Continue the discussion on facebook. Send roses on twitter with the #WorldBookDay hashtag.

Happy reading!
The Bookeen Team


For more information:

World Book Day on the UNESCO site

World Book Day on Wikipedia

Join the discussion with Bookeen!

Dear Readers,

To be closer to the Bookeen community, Bookeen is opening the dialog on new fronts. We are very happy to invite you to join us on facebook. Become a fan of the ebook-reader pioneers and join the discussion! Tell us where and how you like to read on your Cybook, what features are most important for you, stay up to date on the latest news, and exchange thoughts with your fellow “Bookeeners”!

In addition, “a little birdie” is tweeting the latest news from Bookeen on Twitter. Follow us to hear about what’s going on with Bookeen, in 140 characters maximum.

The pocket-sized Opus is so light that you can carry it absolutely everywhere with you. What’s your favorite place to read?

To celebrate, we’ve created a photo album just for you: the “Cybook Parade”! Share your photos of your Cybook out and about. The photos will be displayed in our facebook album; you can upload them directly, or email them to us at community@bookeen.com. Please mention “Cybook Parade” in the subject line.

Best regards,

Bookeen Team

Interview with Bookeen on e-reader-info.com

Hello,





A very nice and long interview of Michael Dahan (one of the two Bookeen co-founders). he talks about his company, his products and his vision of the business in the E-Reader-info.com blog resource.

Enjoy it's just below:


http://www.e-reader-info.com/interview-michael-dahan-co-founder-and-ceo-bookeen








Best regards,





Bookeen Team

Cybook Opus on Home Shopping Network

Hello,

Cybook Opus is available on Home Shopping Network for a special USD $199.95 offer.

For the ones, who want to have a great demo of the product, check the video.

Enjoy http://electronics.hsn.com/bookeen-ereader-5-e-ink-screen-1gb-memory-with-preloaded-books_p-5917463_xp.aspx?web_id=5917463&ocm=sekw

Best regards,

Bookeen Team

At last! Here is the long awaited Firmware Upgrade for Cybooks.

Thank you for your support and your patience!





All the Bookeen Team whishes you a Merry Christmas!

About the next firmware upgrade.

Our Dev team will soon release the next firmware upgrade.

For all Cybooks (Gen3 and Opus), you will have a possibility to download 2 firmware.

Here are some of the new features that will brighten up your reading experience:

Firmware 1.5: Mobipocket.

- Support of Mobipocket prc files.

- Support of non DRMed prc and pdf files.

- Support of html, txt, jpeg, png, gif.

- 12 font sizes on all prc, html and txt files.

- Rotation of the page and Zoom from 50 to 100%.

- Browsing mode : new interface presentation.

- Possibility to create your own folders.

- Possibility to speed-up the page turn (in library-mode and in a book)

- Possibility to zoom / change font size by pressing + or – button (Cybook Gen3), by pressing simultaneously menu and one of the page forward/backward button (Cybook Opus).

- Possibility to delete files by pressing delete button (Cybook Gen3), by going through the menu (Cybook Gen3 and Cybook Opus).

Firmware 2.0: Adobe Digital Edition

- Support of Adobe Digital Edition epub and pdf files.

- Support of non DRMed epub and pdf files.

- Support of html, txt, jpeg, png, gif.

- 12 font sizes on all epub, txt, html files.

- Rotation of the page and Zoom from 50 to 100%.

- For pdf files: hyperlinks are now activated and the covers are displayed on the library page.

- Browsing mode: new interface presentation.

- Possibility to create your own folders.

- Possibility to speed-up the page turn by maintening the pressure on a page turn button (in library-mode and in a book).

- Possibility to zoom / change font size by pressing + or – (Cybook Gen3), by pressing menu and one of the page forward/backward button (Cybook Opus).

- Possibility to delete files by pressing delete button (Cybook Gen3), by going through the menu (Cybook Gen3 and Cybook Opus).

We hope that you will enjoy reading with your Cybook even more than before.

Best regards,

Bookeen Team.

Bookeen present at MobileRead meetup in Paris

Hello,

As you may know, we are on the verge to release our new Cybook Opus and will introduce it to the MobileRead community during their French meetup in Paris. There will be some hands-on demos and Bookeen people will be there to answer your questions.

In parallel, we will propose (in avant-première and during the meet-up) to Cybook GEN3 possessors to upgrade their devices with the - long awaited - new firmware.

So don't forget your Cybooks!

For reminder, here is the information concerning the Meetup organized by Mobileread:

When : Saturday, 4 July 2009from about 18.00 (6.00pm)
Where : Le Décalé (previously "LA TROTTINETTE")
23, rue de la Fontaine au RoiParis 11th arrondissementMétro Goncourt (line 11)
or if you prefer Parmentier (line 3) or République (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)

Best regards,

Michael

Adobe PDF and EPUB will be present in Bookeen products

Bookeen has signed an agreement with Adobe to license the Adobe Reader Mobile SDK for its products.
The new software engine delivers support for reflowable PDF technology, Adobe’s content protection technology, as well as the EPUB file format, an XML-based eBook standard with broad support from the publishing industry.
The Bookeen products will be compatible with Adobe Digital Edition Desktop application (compatible both on PCs and Macs) enabling users to acquire and download their content from a variety of sources.
Both the PDF and EPUB support will become available through a software release scheduled in quarter 1 2009, more details will follow later.

Adobe Press Release

First comics in Cybook bundle.

From now on you can find 5 eBooks demo from Foolstrip in your Cybook.
Foolstrip is a French comic’s publisher coming from the web and going imprint with some best seller. For this latest bundle, Foolstrip has worked directly to adapt their comics to the Cybook format.
This is just a beginning in exploring the comic’s e-reading performance.

We also add a little helper for those who are seeking for a Cybook demonstration. As you can see on the right part of the screen is a map which may help you to find where to buy a Cybook in the nearest brick-and-mortar shop. If you are looking for a complete resellers’ list, you will find it here.

Software Upgrade for the Cybook Gen3: Ver. 1.2 Build 796

Dear Cybook User,

This utility updates the Cybook Gen3 (CYBGEN310B) system software to version 1.2.
Happy e-reading…

Sincerely,
Bookeen Support Team

---

What's New in Version 1.2 (Build 796)

• New: user interface now available in 6 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian & Dutch).
• Improvement: reduced power consumption.
• Improvement: reduced memory usage.
• New: zoom menu for PDF files.
• Improvement: fast panning within PDF files.
• Improvement: general stability and performance.
• Fix: SD card detection.
• Fix: last page saved for files with UTF8 (non ANSI) names.
• New: possibility to restore factory settings (also deletes personal data in internal memory). To do so, press volume- while switching off.

What was New in Version 1.1

• New: hyphenation support in Mobipocket files.
• Improvement: new button management (faster and buffered key detection).
• Improvement: new event management (previous versions could miss events).
• Improvement: reduced power consumption.
• Improvement: table support in Mobipocket files.
• Bug fix: large covers in PRC files.
• Bug fix: Asian characters are now displayed properly in PRC files.
• Bug fix: PDF viewer memory management (to be continued).
• Bug fix: TrueType font detection (“Fonts” directory).
• Bug fix: various user interface items (to be continued).
• Bug fix: detection of MP3 playback frequencies.
• New: in the “Library”, a lock symbol is visible when a read-only SD card is inserted.

---

How to Download

1. From your computer, visit http://www.bookeen.com/support.
2. Login and download the upgrade file.
3. Extract the content of the downloaded zip file.
4. You should get a single file “update_kernel”; this is the firmware upgrade utility.
5. Copy the file “update_kernel” to the root of an SD card.

---

How to Install

1. Make sure your Cybook has enough power to operate.
2. Switch off your device.
3. Insert the SD card into your Cybook.
4. Switch on your device.
5. When the boot image is visible (Cybook & Bookeen logotypes), press the center key of the navigation button and keep it pressed for a few seconds until the screen flashes.
6. When the screen flashes, you can release the key; the upgrade process is launched.
7. Only the needed sections are updated. The upgrade should be completed after a couple of minutes.
8. When the upgrade is completed, the Cybook starts normally.
9. Delete the file “update_kernel” from the SD card and from your computer. This file will not be useful anymore.
10. Congratulations! Your Cybook has been upgraded with version 1.2.
    

---

How to Check my Cybook Version

• Open the contextual menu.
• Open "Advanced…", then "About…".
• "Boo Reader" section shows "Version: x.y (build z)".

---

How to Send Suggestions

• Your feedback is very much welcome.
• Please avoid using blogs, forums or mailing lists.
• Simply send an email to support_at_bookeen.com.
• All suggestions are taken into account as much as possible in our development schedule.
  

---

What's Next

• New directory view.
• Improved Mobipocket, HTML & TXT support.
• More languages.

---

Bookeenvibes : All you want to know about the Cybook

Here is a new way to find news, photos, videos and review about the Cybook and Bookeen:
Bookeenvibes
We will insert more articles and specialise the tabs to provide you a better view on our ebook reader and its Universe. Share with us your url, just keep in mind that the place need to stay clean.

Have a good e-reading

Bookeen's team

Leather cover for an e-reading summer

From the Bookeen website you can now order leather cover for your Cybook Gen3.
The Old Brown version has been discontinued. Those new covers, inspired from customers feedback, are easier to handle. From now, you are able to choose among 4 colors of leather cover plus the one that is now join to the Deluxe Pack.
Let's see what we got:
Black PU - Red Leather - Brown Leather - Shiny Leather - Camel Leather

Cybook Gen3 build release - battery life extension -

The firmware 1.1 got a new build (708). It has been released today via our website: www.bookeen.com/support
The firmware 1.1 previous build had experienced some battery problems for several devices. Build 708 will fix that regression and also provide you with the whole version of firmware 1.1 with a little plus: hyphenation support in mobipocket files. Also, the author's name will now appear in the header of your book if indicated in the book's description.
The download modus operandi will be the same as for the last release.

Enjoy your reading experience.

Best regards,
Bookeen team

P.S.: you must be registered at bookeen.com to download the build 708.

Cybook Gen3 Firmware Upgrade - at last -

The first Cybook Gen3 firmware upgrade (version 1.1) is now available, thank you for your patience. With this build you will be able to enjoy several improvements. Check the link below to discover the features of this new firmware and how to download it.

www.bookeen.com/support

We hope that you will enjoy this new reading experience.
Best regards,

Bookeen team

PS: you must be registered at bookeen.com to access the upgrade firmware utility.

Cybook is back in stock for its six-month anniversary

It’s been 6 months that we brought the Cybook Gen3 to you. Even with being 4 time out-of-stock, we do continue to share with you the same passion for digital reading. Today, we are excited to announce that Cybook is in stock and ready for shipment within 14 business days.

With this new batch, Bookeen has introduced some hardware and software improvements in Cybook. These elements will be explained and developed in a future post.

Thanks for all your support during this first half of year!

Enjoy your reading with the Cybook.

Waiting for, the new firmware.

Our team is actually working on the development of the new firmware. We are late for that first official update, nevertheless we are doing all that we can to supply you rapidly with your new firmware, integrating a maximum of new feature and bug fixes.

A first hint about what will be integrated in this upgrade is that it will sensibly change the navigation button management.

Cybook in university library

Angers’ university library (France), is now sharing a new idea: experimentation on process and use of the Cybook Gen3 for the students.

They just got equipped with a dozen of Cybooks. Daniel Bourrion (librarian in charge of the digital library) will put Cybooks in students’ hands, allowing a better understanding of the use of eReaders on campus. For more information please visit the blog of Daniel http://detoutsurrien.wordpress.com/ under the heading "Mon e-reader s’appelle reviens". Only in internal loan for the moment, the Cybook Gen3 will be available to students once system and uses be clearly established.

Le Cybook en bibliothèque universitaire

La BU d’Angers vient de s’équiper d’une dizaine de Cybooks.

L’expérimentation menée par Daniel Bourrion (conservateur des bibliothèques responsable de la bibliothèque numérique) va permettre de placer dans les mains des étudiants les Cybooks Gen3 et de mieux comprendre l’usage des readers en université. Pour en savoir plus vous pouvez vous rendre sur le blog de Daniel, http://detoutsurrien.wordpress.com/ dans la rubrique «Mon e-reader s’appelle reviens». Pour l’instant en prêt interne seulement, les Cybooks seront mis à disposition des étudiants, une fois un système et des usages clairement établis.