Could this be the future of reading e-books? - Page 2

ricdiogo · 08-04-2007, 12:25 PM

About the interactive screen see Miscrosoft Surface.

Colt · 08-31-2007, 11:00 PM

I think it might be possible in five years... If things speed up for reader technology. However, I don't think anyone brought up this point: How much do we want something that looks like a thin folder that's totally smooth? I love the screen size obviously and the touch screen but... I would honestly prefer my reader to have at least as much heft and feel to it as the Sony Reader. Along with the touch screen, I'd prefer some physical interface, some real interaction even if it's just clicking some buttons. That reader seemed to be going after mimicking printed books instead of attempting to improve on them, and frankly, if I want the sensation of a real book, I'll read one. Not my fingers slipping across plastic.

It might not be paper but I'd like it to have substance. - Colt

Azayzel · 09-01-2007, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madam Broshkina

My guess would be Apple. They really know how to design some nice products. Of course the initial price would probably be too expensive.

Lol, actually M$ already has the computer screen concept already prepped for the marketing stage. They've geared it more toward retail at this time, but say it will be available for consumer use in the next 3 years. I originally say the concept being worked at MIT, or maybe UC Berkley, but then recently I've seen M$ demoing the same unit in the news. I believe they said it will initially only be around $5k, not too much but still quite pricey!

As to the totally awesome eBook they mocked up... this would just friggin rock! I think the main issue will be developing a device that is rugged enough to withstand being tossed around, splashed with water, dropped, and is cheap enough to be replaced without having to sell all your other gadgets. A cool concept would be to have a screen that that is cheap enough to have a few extras lying around the house and then have the main work-horse unit that attaches to the screens, this way you could replace the screen if it becomes non-legible yet still retain all the digital content you've purchased (without having to go home or connect to a PC). Sweet concept, though I don't really see the book technology for at the earliest between 8-10 years.

On a side note... One thing that always fires me up is how Apple always pays to have their products inserted into all the different movies and such via product placement. Realistically, while they do have a very refined ascetic appeal, there aren't as many Mac users as they would have portrayed. Sorry, nothing against Mac users, I'm just tired of the unrealistic product placements. BTW, I do have a Mac but it's not used nearly as much as my other PC's (though it looks nice).

Steven Lyle Jordan · 09-01-2007, 02:00 PM

Well, the point of product placement isn't to suggest that there are more Macs than PCs... just that the cool people in the movies use Macs, and so should you. And if it sells more Macs, it's doing it's job.

Sony could take a page from this book, regarding its own reader...

Azayzel · 09-01-2007, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well, the point of product placement isn't to suggest that there are more Macs than PCs... just that the cool people in the movies use Macs, and so should you. And if it sells more Macs, it's doing it's job.

Sony could take a page from this book, regarding its own reader...

Heheh, point taken. There I go letting my own views cloud my rational thinking again!

LaughingVulcan · 09-01-2007, 11:09 PM

Note: I only watched the first 4 and a half minutes for various reasons.

"Definitely not in 5 years." Almost tempted to say not in 10, just on the basis of the thicknesses of the hardware. Multitouch monitors are certainly coming; I'm sure that something like that will be here soon. We'll have color eInk in 3-5 years. Could you link in a GPS? Why not?

But you'd almost have to have some type of WiFi or Bluetooth connection between the folios shown and some master unit IMHO, if those products would have any kind of battery life.

Will something similarish happen, technology-wise? Probably. But the bookstore concept as shown - doubt it in the extreme as others above have noted. I could potentially see a place with in-store units that could be browsed, but I doubt that also.

Alexander Turcic · 09-02-2007, 12:19 PM

Deutsche Telekom Labs has a similar "vision" of the electronic paper of the future:

Colt · 09-02-2007, 10:09 PM

One thing I don't get: Who's going to watch to be touching their screen constantly and rubbing it? It's annoying enough keeping my LCD clean without people poking it all the time.

Alexander Turcic · 09-03-2007, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colt

One thing I don't get: Who's going to watch to be touching their screen constantly and rubbing it? It's annoying enough keeping my LCD clean without people poking it all the time.

You may want to ask this question to iPhone owners as well. I second your concerns... I hate to see fingerprints on screens!

igorsk · 09-03-2007, 07:31 AM

Well, iPhone's screen does attract fingerprints about as much as common glass but 1) for some reason, the fingerprints are not as noticable as on other screens and 2) the screen is VERY scratch-proof and can be cleaned any time by wiping on any part of your clothes.

LaughingVulcan · 09-03-2007, 10:33 AM

Not to mention wear and tear on the surface - I'm noticing my T|X screen seems to be getting less responsive lately. (And I suspect one particular game that has me pressing about five spots on the screen repetitively under time pressure. But it's too fun and addictive to quit!) Hard switches can fail too, but I believe they're more stable than screen response, after having owned enough PDAs and Tablets.

Colt · 09-03-2007, 03:05 PM

All you have to do is go to a supermarket with one of the touch screen keypads for entering your PIN... You can see all of these little matte rubbed spots. I know materials progress but tell that to my super-polished keyboard and mouse I've had for years and lovingly taken care of... But they still wear away.

RobertDDL · 02-20-2015, 03:42 AM

So much for predictions... Isn't it fascinating to look back at the future?

badgoodDeb · 02-23-2015, 03:49 PM

(As an aside: part of the reason Apple products get inserted into movies is that a lot of graphic arts people use Apple products heavily, because the software works well for that. At least, so I hear.)

Smooth screen touchy feely futuristic products: there is a small segment of us who are developing finger tip problems from all this touchy feely stuff. I've been ignoring my iPad, and using my iPhone minimally, and my finger tips STILL feel half raw. I curl my fingers under at night so the sheets don't touch my finger tips. My new Kindle Voyage is touchy feely too now, and is probably adding to the problem. Sigh. My idea of a vacation is to curl up with a good book, but if I can't use my Voyage I'll be lost. Real paper books are okay, but the fonts have started shrinking and I need the Voyage for the larger and clearer print!

Can somebody invent a Voyage that will turn the page when I vocalize "next" so I don't have to touch *anything* ?? Put that into the Futuristic pot too, please .....

meeera · 02-23-2015, 08:17 PM

I can't see the appeal of the bookstore at all - and, as noted above, it's no different to what people can do now with barcode scanning.

I also have no interest in a two-tablets-stuck-together hinged ereader. That format is an artefact of the dead-tree age, where printing on both sides of a piece of paper was a practical necessity. I can only look at one page at a time, so I've no interest in a twice-as-heavy double-paged novel reader. It might make more sense for some niche textbooks, though, when a thin/light enough display with a robust enough hinge becomes available.

Note that I only watched the first half.

View Poll Results: Could this be the future in 5 years?
Yes. Absolutely yes.	10	35.71%
No, definitely not in 5 years.	17	60.71%
No, not in 5 years nor in 10.	1	3.57%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll

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08-04-2007, 12:25 PM	#16
ricdiogo Gutenberger Posts: 142 Karma: 700 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen 3	About the interactive screen see Miscrosoft Surface.

08-31-2007, 11:00 PM	#17
Colt Comrade Rising Posts: 28 Karma: 30 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Empire of Alaska, Occupied Florida, Territory Command Device: Currently Pulp	I think it might be possible in five years... If things speed up for reader technology. However, I don't think anyone brought up this point: How much do we want something that looks like a thin folder that's totally smooth? I love the screen size obviously and the touch screen but... I would honestly prefer my reader to have at least as much heft and feel to it as the Sony Reader. Along with the touch screen, I'd prefer some physical interface, some real interaction even if it's just clicking some buttons. That reader seemed to be going after mimicking printed books instead of attempting to improve on them, and frankly, if I want the sensation of a real book, I'll read one. Not my fingers slipping across plastic. It might not be paper but I'd like it to have substance. - Colt

09-01-2007, 02:00 PM	#19
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Well, the point of product placement isn't to suggest that there are more Macs than PCs... just that the cool people in the movies use Macs, and so should you. And if it sells more Macs, it's doing it's job. Sony could take a page from this book, regarding its own reader...

09-01-2007, 11:09 PM	#21
LaughingVulcan Technophile Posts: 206 Karma: 617 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Land of Lincoln Device: Kobo Sage. Ex Sony (PRS-500, -600, -650 and Nook)	Note: I only watched the first 4 and a half minutes for various reasons. "Definitely not in 5 years." Almost tempted to say not in 10, just on the basis of the thicknesses of the hardware. Multitouch monitors are certainly coming; I'm sure that something like that will be here soon. We'll have color eInk in 3-5 years. Could you link in a GPS? Why not? But you'd almost have to have some type of WiFi or Bluetooth connection between the folios shown and some master unit IMHO, if those products would have any kind of battery life. Will something similarish happen, technology-wise? Probably. But the bookstore concept as shown - doubt it in the extreme as others above have noted. I could potentially see a place with in-store units that could be browsed, but I doubt that also.

09-02-2007, 12:19 PM	#22
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Deutsche Telekom Labs has a similar "vision" of the electronic paper of the future:

09-02-2007, 10:09 PM	#23
Colt Comrade Rising Posts: 28 Karma: 30 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Empire of Alaska, Occupied Florida, Territory Command Device: Currently Pulp	One thing I don't get: Who's going to watch to be touching their screen constantly and rubbing it? It's annoying enough keeping my LCD clean without people poking it all the time.

09-03-2007, 07:31 AM	#25
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Well, iPhone's screen does attract fingerprints about as much as common glass but 1) for some reason, the fingerprints are not as noticable as on other screens and 2) the screen is VERY scratch-proof and can be cleaned any time by wiping on any part of your clothes.

09-03-2007, 10:33 AM	#26
LaughingVulcan Technophile Posts: 206 Karma: 617 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Land of Lincoln Device: Kobo Sage. Ex Sony (PRS-500, -600, -650 and Nook)	Not to mention wear and tear on the surface - I'm noticing my T\|X screen seems to be getting less responsive lately. (And I suspect one particular game that has me pressing about five spots on the screen repetitively under time pressure. But it's too fun and addictive to quit!) Hard switches can fail too, but I believe they're more stable than screen response, after having owned enough PDAs and Tablets.

09-03-2007, 03:05 PM	#27
Colt Comrade Rising Posts: 28 Karma: 30 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Empire of Alaska, Occupied Florida, Territory Command Device: Currently Pulp	All you have to do is go to a supermarket with one of the touch screen keypads for entering your PIN... You can see all of these little matte rubbed spots. I know materials progress but tell that to my super-polished keyboard and mouse I've had for years and lovingly taken care of... But they still wear away.

02-20-2015, 03:42 AM	#28
RobertDDL Whatever... Posts: 197 Karma: 1114225 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Austria Device: PocketBook InkPad 840, Touch HD 2	So much for predictions... Isn't it fascinating to look back at the future?

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02-23-2015, 03:49 PM	#29
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,550 Karma: 64462893 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	(As an aside: part of the reason Apple products get inserted into movies is that a lot of graphic arts people use Apple products heavily, because the software works well for that. At least, so I hear.) Smooth screen touchy feely futuristic products: there is a small segment of us who are developing finger tip problems from all this touchy feely stuff. I've been ignoring my iPad, and using my iPhone minimally, and my finger tips STILL feel half raw. I curl my fingers under at night so the sheets don't touch my finger tips. My new Kindle Voyage is touchy feely too now, and is probably adding to the problem. Sigh. My idea of a vacation is to curl up with a good book, but if I can't use my Voyage I'll be lost. Real paper books are okay, but the fonts have started shrinking and I need the Voyage for the larger and clearer print! Can somebody invent a Voyage that will turn the page when I vocalize "next" so I don't have to touch anything ?? Put that into the Futuristic pot too, please .....

02-23-2015, 08:17 PM	#30
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,815 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I can't see the appeal of the bookstore at all - and, as noted above, it's no different to what people can do now with barcode scanning. I also have no interest in a two-tablets-stuck-together hinged ereader. That format is an artefact of the dead-tree age, where printing on both sides of a piece of paper was a practical necessity. I can only look at one page at a time, so I've no interest in a twice-as-heavy double-paged novel reader. It might make more sense for some niche textbooks, though, when a thin/light enough display with a robust enough hinge becomes available. Note that I only watched the first half.