toys and more toys for PUMA! Franklin Introduces eBookman(R) The Next Generation eBook at PC EXPO 2000; Bette
12:15
/FROM PR NEWSWIRE PHILADELPHIA 800-523-4424/
TO BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
Franklin Introduces eBookman(R) The Next Generation eBook at PC EXPO 2000;
Better Screen Size, Lower Price Point, More Features Than Any Other eBook;
eBookman to Use Microsoft Reader Software
BURLINGTON, N.J., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Franklin Electronic Publishers,
Inc. (NYSE: FEP), the leading worldwide provider of handheld eBooks, announced
today the launch of its new eBookman. The Company debuted the line today at PC
EXPO 2000 in New York City. eBookman will be on display at Franklin's booth
until the end of the trade show on June 29th.
eBookman's features far exceed current eBook offerings, with optimal
display size, a robust feature set, and price points which will, for the first
time, make eBooks available to the mass market. eBookman is also the debut of
Franklin's ground-breaking "open but secure" architecture, protecting programs
and media while allowing developers an affordable platform to create new
applications. The result is that eBookman customers can access content from
the Internet that publishers have previously been hesitant to make available
in other open platforms.
Franklin will ship three eBookman models at $129.95, $179.95 and $229.95.
All models will feature a large 240 x 200 pixel LCD that displays 87% more
<22>information than a typical handheld. Additionally, each model is designed to
information than a typical handheld. Additionally, each model is designed to
download electronic books, audio books, and MP3 music files, as well as to
synchronize bundled PIM applications with Microsoft Outlook. "Out of the box"
natural handwriting recognition is enhanced via a variety of new UI
techniques. Franklin's proprietary ASIC design affords microprocessor speeds
2-3 times faster than that found in most popular handheld devices.
The $129.95 entry model includes 8 Mbytes of RAM while the $179.95
offering adds backlight, an enhanced LCD display, and a variety of value added
bundled applications and content offerings. The $229.95 product features an
impressive 16 Mbytes of RAM and additional content download offerings in
addition to the enhanced backlit display.
Franklin is collaborating with Microsoft Corporation and other industry
leading technology partners, including Audible, Inc. and Pumatech, Inc., to
ensure that eBookman is the best-connected eBook device to the widest
selection of content available.
"Franklin's eBookman is the result of a logical evolution of the company's
core technologies: electronic publishing, data compression, portable
<39>electronics, and ease of use. Our fifteen years of experience and expertise
electronics, and ease of use. Our fifteen years of experience and expertise
with eBooks have put Franklin in an ideal position to market this product to
all types of consumers -- from students in the classroom to executives on the
go -- at fair and reasonable prices. This is a watershed event for Franklin
because, with tens of thousands of titles available at launch from the
Internet, our product will, for the first time, put eBooks on the map for the
masses," said Barry Lipsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin.
"This product makes multifunctional media devices a mass-market reality,"
said Dr. Peter N. Yianilos, Franklin's Acting Chief Technology Officer and
architect of the eBookman effort. "We're all consumers of media, and we
believe that consumers will see the real value of having both a great reading
and audio media device together with other important applications. Franklin's
unique integrated engineering capabilities, from processor through application
<52>software, make eBookman possible."
software, make eBookman possible."
Franklin jointly announced today with Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MFST)
that the companies are collaborating to bring Microsoft Reader software to
eBookman. This effort will allow eBookman end users to purchase content from
the expanding library of works in Microsoft Reader format directly from
Franklin's website, www.franklin.com, and other Internet eBooksellers.
Dick Brass, Vice President of Microsoft, said, "The new line of eBookman
devices is exciting news for book lovers. The combination of Microsoft
Reader, with its unique readability enhancements and powerful security
<61>options, and Franklin's reputation for leadership and quality in electronic
options, and Franklin's reputation for leadership and quality in electronic
publishing will help make eBooks a reality for many readers. Microsoft's
vision for eBooks has long been to provide consumers with the widest possible
range of choices in reading devices, and the eBookman's display size,
portability, and value make it an excellent option."
Franklin has also announced alliances with Audible, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBL) to
bring audiobooks and premium spoken word titles to eBookman and with
Pumatech, Inc. (Nasdaq: PUMA) to provide synchronization between eBookman and
Microsoft Outlook.
<70> Thomas Baxter, President and CEO of Audible, Inc. said, "The launch of the
Thomas Baxter, President and CEO of Audible, Inc. said, "The launch of the
next generation Franklin multimedia eBook signals an important step forward in
the growth of the electronic book industry, which is a perfect complement to
Audible's digital spoken audio. We are pleased to partner with Franklin in
the effort to provide eBook users with greater choice and the functionality to
enjoy the mobile digital audio experience, while furthering the growth of the
Audible brand."
Brad Rowe, CEO and co-founder of Pumatech said, "The combination of
Franklin's innovation, given its worldwide leadership in handheld eBooks for
over a decade, and the rich feature set of the Intellisync platform, will
<80>enable Franklin customers to seamlessly and effortlessly keep their lives in
enable Franklin customers to seamlessly and effortlessly keep their lives in
sync. Because Pumatech provides an extensible synchronization software
platform and SDK, companies like Franklin have turned to us to license our
technology and build advanced synchronization solutions for their offerings."
AVAILABILITY -- eBookman will be launched internationally in Germany,
France, Benelux, Canada, Mexico, Australia, the United States, and the United
Kingdom, and will be available in retail starting this fall.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. (NYSE: FEP) is the worldwide market
leader in handheld electronic books, including the popular BOOKMAN series.
The Company is also the exclusive producer and distributor of ROLODEX(R)
<90>Electronics brand of personal information management products. Franklin has
Electronics brand of personal information management products. Franklin has
sold more than 22,000,000 electronic books and currently publishes more than
200 titles, including dictionaries and bilingual dictionaries; encyclopedias;
Bibles; entertainment titles; education and tutorial publications; and medical
reference works. Franklin products, available in sixteen languages, are sold
in 45,000 retail outlets worldwide, through catalogs and on line at
franklin.com. The Company has sales and distribution subsidiaries
in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Benelux countries, Canada,
Australia and Mexico, and production management offices in Tokyo and Hong
<99>Kong.
Kong.
Franklin, BOOKMAN, and eBookman are trademarks of Franklin Electronic
Publishers, Inc. ROLODEX(R) is a registered trademark of Berol Corporation, a
subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. Microsoft and Outlook are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Audible is a trademark of Audible, Inc. Intellisync
is a trademark of Pumatech, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
SOURCE Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
/CONTACT: Gregory J. Winsky, Executive Vice President of FranklinElectronic
Publishers, 609-386-2500, or Kim Klein of Global Communications &Television,
212-339-9920, or for information during PC EXPO, (June 27-29)917-902-7236/
/Web site: franklin.com / |
