French operator SFR tests e-book device

[grimo1re]

French mobile operator SFR is launching a e-book device. The e-Book SFR is apparently about as big as a paperback, weighs 175g and offers 10 to 15 hours of use, Telecompaper reports. Users can download content via SFR's 3G network or via Bluetooth. Several French newspapers will be available and the operator is also working with 7 publishers. SFR will test the service and device with 100 customers for three months. SFR has already said it will use DRM to protect the content. The company may launch the device commercially later this year, pending trial results.

Press release (French) here

(Perhaps a French speaking MR reader can dig up a picture of this device?)

[zelda_pinwheel]

great find ! maybe this time i'll manage to be a beta tester... ^^

here is a photo :


and more info (in french) in this page
http://www.zone-numerique.com/news_3...imentation.htm

it's a netronix / cybook clone. the press reslease in french says they'll be working with 6 newspapers (Les Echos, Le Monde, L'Equipe, Le Parisien, Le Figaro et L'AFP) and 7 publishers (Dunod, Flammarion, Hachette, M21 éditions, Plon, Ramsay, Solar).

interesting excerpt from the press release :

Chaque appareil dispose d'un numéro de série unique, les lecteurs sont ainsi identifiés et les fichiers contenant les ouvrages sont cryptés de façon à ce que seuls les lecteurs identifiés puissent les télécharger. Il n'est ainsi pas possible de transférer un ouvrage téléchargé vers un autre e-Book ou autre support.

Cette expérimentation permettra de tester, notamment, l'ergonomie du produit, son usage en situation de mobilité et la pertinence de l'offre de contenus proposée. Les enseignements tirés du pilote permettront à SFR d'adapter son offre pour le lancement commercial en fin d'année 2008.
Les clients qui souhaitent devenir testeurs du " e-Book SFR " peuvent s'inscrire sur le site www.ateliersfr.fr dès le vendredi 4 juillet.

translation :
"Each device will have a unique serial number, which will identify it and the ebooks are encrypted so that only the identified device can download it. So it's impossible to transfer a downloaded ebook to another ebook or another medium.

This experiment will also allow us to test, notably, the ergonomy of the product, it's use in mobile situations and the pertinence of the content proposed. The lessons learned from the pilot will allow SFR to adapt its offer for the commercial launch at the end of 2008. Clients who would like to become testers of the "SFR ebook" can sign up on the site www.ateliersfr.fr starting friday 4th of july.

[zelda_pinwheel]

update :
well, i tried to sign up to be a beta tester (of course). you must be a client of SFR, which it happens i am, however when i entered my SFR téléphone number i got an error message :
"Vous ne pouvez pas vous inscrire à Atelier SFR : Votre Numéro de mobile n'est pas autorisé."
"you cannot register at the SFR Atelier : Your mobile number is not authorised."

b*stards.

[grimo1re]

Awwwwww!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by grimo1re

Awwwwww!

right ??? *snif.*

[tebaldo]

The reader is the GeR2, adapted for the new Ganaxa telecom platform.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by grimo1re

The e-Book SFR is apparently about as big as a paperback, weighs 175g and offers 10 to 15 hours of use,

I wonder where the 10-15 hrs comes from (perhaps due to 3G network)? The GeR2 is based on the Netronix EB-600, which is usually quoted as good for 8,000 page turns.

[zelda_pinwheel]

new update : i tried again to register for the beta test and this time it worked !!! now my request is waiting to be validated... i will have a reply within 48 hours !!! wish me luck !!!

[tebaldo]

@ zelda_pinwheel
You are in France, and what do you do?

[zelda_pinwheel]

what do i do ? for my job you mean ? i'm a webdesigner. why ?

[jerryleejr]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

great find ! maybe this time i'll manage to be a beta tester... ^^

here is a photo :


and more info (in french) in this page
http://www.zone-numerique.com/news_3...imentation.htm

it's a netronix / cybook clone. the press reslease in french says they'll be working with 6 newspapers (Les Echos, Le Monde, L'Equipe, Le Parisien, Le Figaro et L'AFP) and 7 publishers (Dunod, Flammarion, Hachette, M21 éditions, Plon, Ramsay, Solar).

interesting excerpt from the press release :


translation :
"Each device will have a unique serial number, which will identify it and the ebooks are encrypted so that only the identified device can download it. So it's impossible to transfer a downloaded ebook to another ebook or another medium.

This experiment will also allow us to test, notably, the ergonomy of the product, it's use in mobile situations and the pertinence of the content proposed. The lessons learned from the pilot will allow SFR to adapt its offer for the commercial launch at the end of 2008. Clients who would like to become testers of the "SFR ebook" can sign up on the site www.ateliersfr.fr starting friday 4th of july.

Great now I am going to have to learn French!

JJ

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by jerryleejr

Great now I am going to have to learn French!

JJ

everyone should learn french.

[jerryleejr]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

everyone should learn french.

I was in Paris in the Mid 90's lets just say I got around all right with what little French i did know.

JJ

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

new update : i tried again to register for the beta test and this time it worked !!! now my request is waiting to be validated... i will have a reply within 48 hours !!! wish me luck !!!

Good luck! I hope you are selected. Is there any indication if they will let you put content on it other than the newspapers that you purchase from them. Do beta testers have to pay for content?

BOb

[zelda_pinwheel]

thanks ! no news yet... i'm so impatient !!

i'm not sure whether you can put your own content on it, but why wouldn't they ? and i don't know whether the content will be free or not either.

what i DO know, from the general conditions of the test, is that if you do the test you get to keep the liseuse at the end of it, as well as all the content on it !!! (which might indicate that the content is not free ; i doubt any beta-testers would agree to pay for books and newspapers which they would have to give back after 3 months).

however, they also say you cannot transfer this content to another liseuse, to a pc, or to a phone, or any other media. and at the end of the test, you will not be able to add any more content from them, the download channel will be closed. during the test, the content will be downloaded to your telephone via the 3G network, and then transferred to the liseuse via bluetooth i believe.

anyway, of course if i'm selected i'll let you know everything in detail ! there is at least one other person on the forum who signed up for the test, so even if i'm not part of it maybe he will be.