| Developer | NuvoMedia |
|---|---|
| Release date | 1998 (1998) |
TheRocket eBook is an early commercial handhelde-reader that was produced by NuvoMedia in late 1998; it uses aLCD screen and can store up to tene-books.[1][2]E-books are loaded on the device by connecting it to a computer, and the device has two page turn buttons. Rocket-compatible e-books were sold online atBarnes & Noble andPowell's Bookstore.[3] It had a retail price of $499.
The Rocket eBook was manufactured by NuvoMedia until 2000, when it was purchased byGemstar-TV Guide International for $187 million.[4] After purchasing NuvoMedia and merging it withSoftBook, Gemstar released an e-reader called the RCA eBook Reader.[4]
On April 15, 1997,Martin Eberhard andMarc Tarpenning founded NuvoMedia to make a product that could benefit from improving battery size and settled on designing an electronic book reader; the resulting Rocket eBook e-reader sold 20,000 units in 1999.[5]
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