Pocketbook has been working on a significant deal for the past year. They have just become a substantial shareholder and co-owner of Bigme, a Chinese brand with a strong track record in releasing e-readers and e-notebooks with E INK screens. This is the first considerable acquisition Pocketbook has made since releasing e-readers in 2012.
As part of our ongoing collaboration, Pocketbook has not only become a shareholder and co-owner of Bigme but is also actively involved in mutual product development. This collaborative approach, which includes cross-sharing of R&D teams, has already yielded results with the successful development of the PocketBook InkPad EO. This device, designed specifically for the US and European markets, is a testament to the successful integration of our respective strengths and expertise. We are eagerly looking forward to the future potential of this collaboration.
There were several changes that Pocketbook had more on the hardware it was based on, the Bigme InkNote Color+. Pocketbook developed its custom firmware to make the UI user-friendly for EU and US users. In the Notes application, performance and handwriting quality were optimized. In addition, they reworked some instruments to make them perform better. Setup wizard, Settings, Notes application and many other apps were reworked; as an additional reading application, the PocketBook reader app with the PocketBook cloud and PocketBook store integration. Now, users can use PocketBook services and purchase content from online bookstores. The send-by-email feature was added. It allows users to send note files to emails without additional logins.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.