The COOL-ER eBook reader caused quite a stir at the last BEA week. Not because of the half-naked Brazilian Samba dancers, not because of the margaritas that flowed out of their booth like water, but because the new device looked, well … cool. With 8 colors, British founder and inventor, Neil Jones has taken a rather unconventional route to creating an eBook reading device. Without a technical background, he came up with the idea for an eBook reader whose goal was to “make reading fun again.”
The idea went from conception to prototype in 3 weeks and release in 4 1/2 short months, unheard of in the typically corporate structure of a technology company.
It was his company’s “quickness of thought, not living within a corporate custom,” Jones says that helped them move so swiftly.
The idea actually began, not to make a quick buck, but rather, because Jones is an aspiring author. He began the often tedious process of trying to get a literary agent and knew there had to be a better way. That’s when he came up with the idea for the COOL-ER eBook reader, where he could not only partner with publishers, but where authors could, in fact, publish directly.
Resembling more of an iPod than a Sony eReader, some critics have complained of the device’s “plastic” feel and the pressure applied on the buttons in order to navigate. Jones, however, states “this was not on accident.”
“The device,” he states “was supposed to be made out of plastic,” which accounts for the fact that the COOL-ER is about 40% lighter than its competitors.
Jones’ out-of-the-box business management style (more Richard Branson, than Bill Gates), is not only apparent in the introduction and marketing of the product, but in his approach to breaking into the book publishing industry.
On the horizon: Branded COOL-ERs with retail partners, a larger format color screen eBook reader, which could be ready as soon as Christmas (and a target price under $300), a book publishing division of the company called COOL-ER Writing, and a new out-of-the-box pricing structure which is said to make the COOL-ER reader affordable to virtually anyone.
The original COOL-ER model is “just the beginning,” Jones says.
Jeff Rivera is the founder of GumboWriters.com