Books of the Future

This year, the gadget market introduced a new technology which aims to revolutionize the way we view books. E-reader, as aptly called, is an electronic device equipped with a large electronic display and directional buttons for page flipping. Some of them, like the Samsung’s Papyrus, are equipped with a capacitative touchscreen display while others, like the new Barnes and Noble’s Nook, even sport dual screens. An important feature of e-readers is the electronic ink display technology which mimics the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. So unlike the high contrast Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens on your display monitors, the e-ink puts less strain on your eyes and consumes less electricity due to a very low refresh rate.

 

Now that the e-reader technology is available to the public, it is interesting to predict its future effects on the sales of traditional paper books. It is too early to tell whether these contraptions will earn general acceptability among book lovers who are already accustomed to the look and feel of traditional books. In the United States, for instance, the administrators of Princeton University partnered with Amazon.com to introduce e-readers to college students by pre-loading it with digital versions of the textbooks used for their respective subjects. The feedback was generally negative due to lack of familiarity and sluggish response of the device. One student commented that the “feel” of reading off paper can never be replaced by an e-reader.

 

Despite its initial imperfections, there is no doubt that e-readers will have a promising future ahead. It has the potential to replace traditional books which can lead to the reduction of paper demand and eventually curtail the occurring degradation of our environment. By making the device more user-friendly and by improving battery efficiency and longevity, the acceptance and transition to e-readers might soon become a reality.

 

 

Sources:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/09/28/23918/