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Researchers Demo Flippable-Page E-book Reader
Posted by
timothy
on Wed Jun 25, 2008 04:13 PM
from the penny-gadget-would-like-royalties dept.
from the penny-gadget-would-like-royalties dept.
holy_calamity writes "E-readers are getting better but still limit users to keyboard-style interaction. Researchers at Berkeley and Maryland Universities have changed that with a reader that has two 'pages.' The two displays can be moved like a real book's pages to leaf through a document, or detached to compare and share virtual pages. If they are folded back to create a tablet with displays on each side, you can turn it over to flip pages. A video shows it in action." You may be reminded of the promised second-generation OLPC device, which looks somewhat similar.
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Hardware: 2nd Generation "$100 Laptop" Will Be an E-Book Reader 286 comments
waderoush writes "At a conference sponsored by the One Laptop Per Child Foundation this morning, OLPC founder unveiled the design for the foundation's second-generation laptop. It's actually not a laptop at all — it's a dual-screen e-book reader (we've got pictures). Negroponte said the foundation hopes that the cost of the new device, which is scheduled for production by 2010, can be kept to $75, in part by using low-cost displays manufactured for portable DVD players."
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Why? (Score:3, Insightful)
There are so many more interesting things you can try to develop.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
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This IS a novel way of using the technology. You're making it into something we all know how to use... a good old fashioned book. This makes it much more appealing to a broader (read: older) audience who don't want to "learn something new".
Sure, but then again if someone really does not want to learn something new then probably he will stick with the book and the development is pointless anyway. It is a nice functionality but then again the resource could have been put into eye-tracking, voice-recognition...
Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
I disagree. One of the key reasons why I like reading eBooks is that I DON'T have to flip pages. I can use a scroll wheel or a button to flip, instead. I've found that it's many times more comfortable than holding a paperback in the center, then having to move my thumb and other arm to manage a page flip.
The reason why paper has defeated eBooks to date is because you don't have to invest in a $$$ reader ahead of time and the paper is of a much higher resolution than an eBook reader. (1200dpi prints put eBook readers to shame.) Not in a million years would I have thought that the lack of "page flipping" was a significant barrier to eBook adoption. In fact, adding page flipping would probably become an ADDITIONAL barrier to eBooks as users would be unfamiliar with how to operate the electronic device.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
One of the key reasons why I like reading eBooks is that I DON'T have to flip pages. I can use a scroll wheel or a button to flip, instead.
You must mean eBooks on an LCD. No way you're going to like using a scroll wheel on an e-Ink display. The Sony Reader is beautiful, but it takes a full second to refresh.
A screen is nicer anyway (Score:4, Interesting)
For me, it's all about the size of displayed text. The larger the better. I've got good eyesight, but it's simply easier on the eyes to have text in a large font that I can read from a distance. I also like to be able to zoom into images (think academic papers, with complex plots that are often printed way to small to save space).
Now, I can see the advantage of having a mobile device. But while I'm at my desk, I'll take the display over a printed sheet any time.
Parent
Not the only one (Score:3, Insightful)
"Am I the only person who prefers to read pdfs on a screen rather than a printed sheet of paper, let alone an e-reader? "
You're not the only one, but I'd bet most book lovers are just that... book lovers. They don't just love stories and histories and information; they love the books themselves. I dearly love the tactile feel of a book, the binding, the pages, even the smell of older books. I'm a nut for old textbooks from the pre-50's era. I collect them, and actually read them (and you'd be surprised at h
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
One of the nice touches on the Kindle device was the addition of a LCD bar on the side that you could use a scroll wheel with. Since it's not part of the page, it doesn't have to refresh. I take that as a nod that you don't have to limit yourself to a single e-ink display, and that you can use other options for navigation.
Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
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It's not just about catering to the inflexible IMO - by making the device respond to how it's physically held and manipulated, the device becomes a more natural part of the surroundings in which it's used. I don't think the stuff in the video was all that impressive for the most part (page flipping? Ho hum) but the general idea of making the device respond to physical interactions is a good one. I think the screen rotation on the iPhone is maybe a better example, though.
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Better to allow N readers to work together... (Score:5, Interesting)
Seems like the logical thing to do would be to simply allow multiple readers to cooperate in document display, so when you snap together (say) 4 readers, you get a 4-page view, split them apart you get 2 2-page views of different documents. You would use proximity sensors to define which pages were "together", and simple mechanical clips to hold them together when not laying flat. You could then hand one side of the page you were looking at to a co-worker, then pull a blank sheet out of your drawer to restore your own reading area, while he walks off with the other page.
This is becoming more like an extension of the Xerox PAD and TAB.
The documents mightn't be stored on the device, rather they would be accessed via the office wifi network.
hmmm. (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyhow. I like the concept - I have long been advocating this kind of thing.
But why stop with a eReader? Make a standard tile module with a touch sensitive tactile screen and the skys the limit. four make a monitor, 64 make a tv, 128 make a wall screen. two make a laptop. one makes an eReader. 40 make a beowolf cluster for number crunching.
make options like a keyboard only to lower cost. or a processing one with extra ram and more grunt and no screen. maybe a half size one for a pda.
use a common API, common interface and I guarantee that lots of smart people will think of many amazing uses for them.
is a lack of foresight making people think small, or are people listening too much to busiess concerns?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"
use a common API, common interface and I guarantee that lots of smart people will think of many amazing uses for them."
true, but will the do anything that sells?
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And three gives you the centerfold easter egg...
E-Paper is the way to go for this type of app (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Interesting but... (Score:3, Insightful)
The video shows some interesting features but I think that attempts to create an electronic device that emulates a physical book is misguided. The "page-flipping" feature doesn't grab me at all. What I'm more interested in seeing in a next gen e-book reader is a nice balance between portability and adequate screen size, a screen resolution sufficient for displaying maps and other graphics, a variety of fonts, unicode support, and search capability that allows me to search either the current book, particular titles from my library, or my library in toto.
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Add to your wishlist: support for LOTS of file types. I have ebooks in html, doc, rtf, pdf, palm, mobi and I don't even know what all else.
Who in their right mind wants to do conversion on every book they already have?
This is a neat gadget, but it's got to be e-ink for me or the battery life will just be pathetic. Additionally, I don't see the new ergonomic features they're touting as being worth the added cost of two eink displays versus one.
Re:Interesting but... (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually the best potential feature of a two-page reader is that the alternate screen could refresh while I'm reading the current one. eBook readers do a nasty all-black flicker before refresh.
Of course the whole point of an eBook reader is to have a nice form factor, which is really defeated by doubling the size and weight for a screen you'll only pay attention to half the time. I suspect the research will simply go into e-Ink displays with better refresh times.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
As another poster pointed out if you could hook the screens up on the fly(usb/IR/bluetooth) So they could work together in tandem, when next to each other or on different documents when separated it would be really useful.
you could carry a small book with the notes on it, but two or three people could join up on a larger project. Potentially with different sized screens too.
Re:Interesting but... (Score:4, Interesting)
I was more interested in the ways in which it didn't emulate a physical book. The ability to turn it into the equivalent of a double-sided sheet of paper, or to split it apart to view separate documents. That's a bit more than past two-page readers, that only used the two "pages" for cosmetic purposes, can claim.
Parent
Neat, but misses the biggest problem (Score:3, Informative)
I've been interested in eBooks for quite a while now, but the problems I have with all of them are not the small controls, or the lack of natural page flip options (though the idea here is rather cool).
My biggest problems with all current eBook readers is the very limited (and usually highly proprietary) formats that they support, and when they do support other formats the lack of efficiency in way they deal with it. For example the Sony eBook reader will read PDF's, but the further you go into a PDF the slower the page flips get. The same problem is not evident, of course!, when using the Sony default (and highly DRM'ed) format. Also the eInk technology is still rather slow in the page updates... Have not used a Kindle yet, so cannot comment on how it behaves or the efficiency of their alternate format supports.
So far the best reader I have found are the Fujitsu P1510/1610/1620 series of small form factor tablets. Using a standard OS on it, I can load any eBook reader software I want, and still be able to use it as a travelling computer when I need it. Of course the weight is much heavier then the "real" eBook readers, but at least I'm not restricted to their formats.
Crap (Score:4, Informative)
This guy can't stop talking about how people doing "research-like" work won't be please by a e-reader. They demonstrate that by showing this guy reading a double-column mini-letter size paper.
Pretty obvious, if you ask me. E-readers are handy, but not for reading tasks that very fast require navigation. Specially of double column pdf files (that would be the equivalent of what the guy was handling). For stuff like that a large LCD monitor on vertical stand does the job much better. Or simply print the dawn thing.
Their proposed solution is to have 2(!) small screens, which are even harder to flip pages than hitting a large round button like in most e-readers (mine is a el cheapo Hanlin v3 [jinke.com.cn])
You wanna a glimpse to the future of (affordable) e-books just look at these images: http://www.jinke.com.cn/Compagesql/embedpro/futurepro.asp [jinke.com.cn]
Re: (Score:2)
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I don't like this terminology but it appears that the scientific community technical term for it is brain fart.
No, I am not proud but I have to assume doing it.
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real desktop work flows (Score:2, Interesting)
I like it when the model after real desktop work flows.
Just like this Proof-of-concept desktop environment [youtube.com] (ok, might be a little offtopic)
Bigger screens, not fluffy features (Score:2)
I've looked over the shoulders of a few people with Kindles on the subway and the screen is just too small for me. I'd rather take the pixels from a dual display and cram them all on a single, continuously-scrollable one.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
So a paperback it too small for you?
That's fine, but it seems odd to me.
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The Kindle is 600x800 at 167 ppi, that's less than a fax, and you have no control over the font pitch as far as I can tell, so its effective resolution seems much less. I'd guess even a badly printed paperback is at least 300 dpi.
I'm not griping too much, the technology will be available soon. I'm more disinclined to buy a Kindle because of the DRM instead of the display quality.
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Who cares about the revolution! (Score:2, Insightful)
When they show it on youtube and its crappy resolution!
Try http://vreel.net/ [vreel.net] or something.
Will it do porn? (Score:2, Interesting)
Seriously, I'm not trying to troll. I've heard that one way to determine if a new technology will take off is to see if pornographers are early adopters. With that in mind, I predict that this will be an expensive flop.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I've heard that too and I think it's busted now. From what I recall, the porn industry went to HD DVD over Blu-ray due to the Blu-ray Disc Association (or, more likely, Sony) not being very receptive to the idea of Blu-ray being used for porn. Didn't seem to make much of a difference though, HD DVD still bombed.
Myth (Score:5, Interesting)
That is a myth, based on confirmation bias.
Pornographers try EVERY media. So naturally it's on all existing and successful media, but it is also on every form of failed media.
Assuming it failed after entering the market.
Parent
Pornographers are not early adopters (Score:2, Insightful)
Gutenberg press: 1440, first mass printed porn 1950 or so.
The www started in 1990, but the porners only really got going in 2000+ when there were a lot of people with broadband to their homes.
Still, the major usage model for ebook readers seems to be to take a book on the subway. Until society gets a bit less uptight about public porn reading and public masturbation there will be very little call for pebook porn.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
"first mass printed porn 1950 or so.
Incorrect. The obvious counter example is the 'Kama Sutra'
I was able to download porn in the 80's, and in 1990 I could download naked Samantha Fox pictures from the 'internet'.
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usenet porn was not mainstream and was posted by readership rather than people trying to make a living out of porn (ie. not pornographers).
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I'm so very sorry to hear that! However if she just keeps her wrists together and makes sure the club face remains perpendicular off the tee, I'm sure it can be cured.
I'll tell you what you can't read on this (Score:2)
But at least you'll be able to peruse the pages of Entertainment Weekly...
wow, who would have thought! (Score:5, Funny)
Amazing research! With two screens, you can display two facing pages, or two different documents, and you can even rotate pages.
What amazing innovations will they think of next?
how about keeping it simple, stupid (Score:2)
eh? (Score:4, Insightful)
This is like a car that you can whip to make it go faster.
This isn't the first time... (Score:2)
On my blog [wirewd.com], I wrote about when HP thought they'd "solved" e-books the last time.
The only cool motion-based user interface I've found so far is MacSaber. But I do use two displays at the same time every day at work.
A big advantage of one page (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oblig (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
It is called (Score:2)
you don't need a cluster (Score:2)