SoftBook
SoftBook was one of the first commercial
Overview
The SoftBook, designed by IDEO and Lunar Design,[2] featured a brown leather cover which flipped back to give the device a more book-like feel, and was notable for its large 6 × 8 inch (15.2 × 20.3 cm) touchscreen display which allowed you to navigate the HTML-based pages as well as highlight and draw simple notes on the pages. It could store approximately 1,500 pages (expandable up to 100,000), and claimed that the rechargeable battery allowed up to 5 hours of reading time.
Use of the SoftBook did not require a
The SoftBook was the first device to comply with the Open eBook specification, which was "based primarily on technology developed by SoftBook Press".[4]
Specifications
Technical specifications printed on the back of the product box:
- Weight: 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
- Display: 9.5 inch (24.1 cm) diagonal, greyscale, backlit, touch-sensitive LCD, built-in protective cover
- Capacity: 2 MB (1,500 pages), expandable to 64 MB with Flash miniature card (50–100,000 pages)
- Modem: Built-in 33.6 Kbps modem; download approximately 100 pages per minute
- Power: lithium-ion battery pack. Up to 5 hours reading time (less than two-hour recharge). AC poweradapter. Optional recharge cradle.
- Reading tools: Sophisticated searching, bookmarking, hyperlinking, text markup, stylusfor marking and highlighting.
- System requirements: Analog telephone connection. AC power outlet for battery recharge.
- Price: $599.95 MSRP), or $299.95 plus $19.95 per month for a 24-month "content package" contract (totalling $778.75)
SoftBook utilized the US 4597058 and US 4725977 patents.
SoftBook Press, Inc.
SoftBook Press, Inc. was founded by James Sachs and Tom Pomeroy in 1996,[5] and located at 1075 Curtis St., Menlo Park CA, 94025. Book conversion was managed by The Lowe-Martin Group of Ottawa ON.[6]
In 2000, SoftBook Press was acquired by
References
- ^ eBooks: 1998 – The first ebook readers. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- BusinessWeek. Archived from the originalon July 30, 2012.
- ^ Chvatik, Daniel (2000). "Review: SoftBook Reader". APTM.
- BusinessWeek. Archived from the originalon 2000-02-08.
- ^ "SoftBook's James Sachs: A New Page for a Gadget Guru", BusinessWeek, 1999-07-28[dead link]
- ^ "E-book Production". lmgroup.com. Archived from the original on 2000-10-26.
- ^ Greg Sandoval. "Gemstar buys two e-book makers". CNET. January 20, 2000. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
External links
- "SoftBook.com". Archived from the original on 1999-10-12.
- SoftBook at MobileRead Wiki