CES 2011: Video Interview with Bookeen Cofounder Laurent Picard

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Publishing Perspectives was on the lookout for book-related companies, and we stopped by the Bookeen booth to look at their e-readers and talk about the business they did at CES.

Take a look at our full-length video interview for a closer look at the Bookeen e-readers and their experience at CES this year.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2_Jcx0hxEs

Cofounder Laurent Picard told us that Bookeen launched a new device at CES called the Cybook Orizon. This e-reader is wi-fi enabled, supports all the major e-book formats, and has a multi-touch screen. Also on display at the Bookeen booth was the Cybook Opus device, a smaller, lightweight e-reader that flipped between portrait and landscape mode.

Picard said that the success of any device depends on “the comfort of the experience” and that is one of Bookeen’s goals with each of its devices. He also told us that Bookeen created its first e-reader ten years ago. At that time, the company also had to create the e-books themselves because the digital content was not available from publishers. Despite a slow start before e-books became popular, Bookeen is now the second most popular device in Europe behind the Sony Reader.

Bookeen Cybook Opus

Bookeen's Cybook Opus e-reader

The launch of the Orizon device was not the only reason Bookeen was at CES. They were also there to meet with international partners including hardware suppliers, distributors, retailers, and even publishers. Picard said that Bookeen signed more deals at CES than last year, and it had been a successful show.

Bookeen is a Paris-based maker of e-reading devices. Cofounders Laurent Picard and Michaël Dahan began working on the design of their first e-reader in 1998.

You can also read PP’s coverage of CES and watch our video report from the show.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

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Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.