[Web4lib] Amazon's Kindle e-book reader

[Bob Rasmussen]

I have enjoyed reading the well thought out comments. Obviously there are 
many factors that will play in to the success (or not) of these products. 
I'd like to talk about the technologies involved.

The Amazon device sounds like it has a bistable monochrome screen. If so, 
that makes it like the Sony Reader, a device you can see at the Sony Style 
store in your local mall. An intriguing aspect of these is that the screen 
consumes no power while it is static. It requires power only to "turn the 
page". It is monochrome, however. As are most paperback books.

Another technology to watch is Organic Light Emitting Doides (OLEDs). 
These are full-color devices; in fact, with very vibrant colors. They can 
be produced on flexible plastic substrate, and they consume low power. 
Imagine an e-book that you unroll to read. (I know, you could call them 
ScrOLEDs).

Finally, there has been some work on very tiny projectors. Image a cell 
phone or PDA, standing up on a tabletop, projecting an image of a book 
page onto a plain white piece of paper.

But I still want books with moving pictures, like in the Harry Potter 
movies. It could happen...

Regards,
....Bob Rasmussen,   President,   Rasmussen Software, Inc.

personal e-mail: ras at anzio.com
 company e-mail: rsi at anzio.com
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