Plastic Logic plans to launch what they claim is the world’s first flexible screen e-reader early next year. Click here to see a demonstration of the unit. Forbes overnight published a story touting the new Plastic Logic unit as bringing electronic newspapers a step closer.
2010 is shaping up as the year of e-readers with several companies close to launching new products in this space for books, magazines and newspapers.
I remember my mum saying around 1990, she couldn’t imaging any reason someone would want a mobile phone, except for specific business reasons like truckies on the road all day. Less than 10 years later almost no one didn’t own one, or several, mobile phones. Now they are commodity devices that we just throw away after a year. Anyone who has their head in the sand about e-books and e-readers and the likely shake up they are going to have on the dead tree industry is going to get a bit surprise, and it’s not far away.
Likewise, I remember teaching a computer class and debating with them the future of DVD’s which at the time, the class decided that it would never really take off….
I like the idea. It would be great if they were adaptable to be able to accommodate a number of different magazines in one device. Maybe downloadable from the internet. (Watched the video but had no sound so not sure if they will be able to do this)
I think even newsagencies could have a part in this. Maybe providing the down loads? Either way I think it is a move we should embrace and adapt, where possible, our businesses to accommodate.
Wasn’t it also said that the worldwide maket for computers would be 7, and I think it was Bill Gates that said no one would ever need more than 64K in memory!