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Steven Lyle Jordan · 08-09-2011, 04:10 PM

I suspect that what we call "smartphones" still have some evolving to do. I imagine them becoming all-purpose communications and computer/storage devices that we can use as-is, or plug in (physically or wirelessly) to peripheral slave-devices like portable screens, media players, vehicles, etc, bought individually to suit personal usage and preferences, to allow for specialized use. (I think the entire computer infrastructure that individuals enjoy will eventually be built around this modular system.)

To an extent, many of the smartphones and other devices can do this now... I expect it to be even easier and much more common in the future. And at that point, the smartphone will be the primary device to store the ebook, and split the duty of displaying it between itself and any peripheral devices.

So, does that mean people will read on the smartphones? Yes and no: They can use their smartphone to connect to their reading device of choice, or even borrow someone else's, if one is convenient, and read on that; or, if no such peripheral is available, they can read on the smartphone's screen.

For today: I think smartphones are dominating some ebook markets and not others, thanks to the dedicated devices available to some markets today. But it's only a matter of time before they play a greater role in all ebook markets, as the central device of a modular system.

08-09-2011, 04:10 PM	#73
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I suspect that what we call "smartphones" still have some evolving to do. I imagine them becoming all-purpose communications and computer/storage devices that we can use as-is, or plug in (physically or wirelessly) to peripheral slave-devices like portable screens, media players, vehicles, etc, bought individually to suit personal usage and preferences, to allow for specialized use. (I think the entire computer infrastructure that individuals enjoy will eventually be built around this modular system.) To an extent, many of the smartphones and other devices can do this now... I expect it to be even easier and much more common in the future. And at that point, the smartphone will be the primary device to store the ebook, and split the duty of displaying it between itself and any peripheral devices. So, does that mean people will read on the smartphones? Yes and no: They can use their smartphone to connect to their reading device of choice, or even borrow someone else's, if one is convenient, and read on that; or, if no such peripheral is available, they can read on the smartphone's screen. For today: I think smartphones are dominating some ebook markets and not others, thanks to the dedicated devices available to some markets today. But it's only a matter of time before they play a greater role in all ebook markets, as the central device of a modular system.