Last week, the first twenty-five readers of the Belgian financial newspaper De Tijd received a trial device of the
iRex iLiad reader, enabling them to download and read the most recent e-paper edition of the title through bluetooth, wireless or by hotspots. Another 175 readers will soon follow the three-month trial. Meanwhile,
according to the International Herald Tribune, other newspapers are keeping a close eye on the new paperless technology:
- New York Times plans a trial of 300 devices.
- International Herald Tribune is in discussions to make subscriptions available this year.
- Les Echos (parent of The Financial Times) plans to trial the Sony Reader with as many as 500 readers, however it will offer a customized version of its newspaper with a different look from the traditional paper format (remember the Sony Reader has a lower resolution than the iRex making customized layout almost inevitable). Other reader devices are also under consideration.
- French Le Monde, La Parisienne and L'Equipe are also to offer trials.
Related: Last year the eNews initiative was brought to life to promote e-paper technologies and to bring publishers and technology companies together. The participating publishing members are:
Bonnier/Expressen (Sweden),
De Telegraaf (the Netherlands),
Edipresse Publications (Switzerland),
Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. (Germany),
New York Times Company (U.S.A.),
Nordjyske Medier (Denmark),
Orkla Media (Norway),
La Parisienne (France),
PrisaCom/El Pais (Spain),
Rheinische Post (Germany),
Sanoma Corp. (Finland),
Schibsted/Aftonbladet (Norway and Sweden),
Stampen/Göteborgs-Posten (Sweden),
Styria Medien (Austria),
Tamedia AG (Switzerland),
Telegraph Group (U.K.),
Tribune Interactive (U.S.A.),
Voralberger Zeitungsverlag und Druckerei (Austria),
Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany),
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan).