A design blog from Mayo Nissen suggests how The Guardian could pursue the concept of the e-paper, offering as little or as much as readers wanted on the basis of a scrollable device. Other organizations have indicated they're at work on such technology to supplement the ink-on-paper publications.
The rollout later this year in Europe of the Readius is reported in today's New York Times. An attribute of that device is its pliability and portability. It's able to browse e-mail. It can be rolled up into a lapel pocket, unlike some of the tablets. While it's still generating in shades of grey and on a five-inch-diagonal screen, it's not going to be long before there are colours and greater-sized displays. For the newspaper and magazine business, these are significant technologies. Might they (in an advanced form, presumably) one day supplant the printing plant and all of the associated transportation and distribution costs? Electronic paper is touted as one of the most viable options for newspapers in the years ahead because of its capacity to reproduce text and images with greater lines of definition and by using natural light --- as opposed to backscreen illumination --- in its presentation. Thus, easier on the eyes, with the electronic benefit of updated information. A thorough look at the future of e-paper in the latest ComputerWorld. So-called EPD technology is farther along than the public success of Amazon's Kindle might suggest. Colour e-ink, plastrates that emulate paper better, and more flexible and portable technologies should arrive in the years to come. |