Rebecca Waber
Theres a lot of excitement, as well as a lot of skepticism, surrounding e-readers like Amazons Kindle and Sonys Reader. Believers in the technology are thrilled with the ability to carry an entire library around with them, as well as the ease of looking up an unknown word or immediately purchasing the sequel when they finish a novel. On the other hand, skeptics point out several disadvantages: the high price point ($399 for the Kindle), peoples psychologically high standards for replacing the revered book, and an e-books inability to be lent out, written on, or passed on through the generations. On balance, it appears uncertain if the Kindle will spark the reading revolution Jeff Bezos is hoping for.
One thing stands out to me amid the debate, though- why the exclusive focus on books?
The technology that makes these e-readers possible is electronic ink (eInk) and electronic paper, which work by using electrically charged ink particles suspended between two layers. The Kindle uses an electronic paper product made by eInk Corporation. The eInk technology has many novel advantages; not only does it allow you to change text after a document has been produced, it also works in all light levels, including direct sunlight, its flexible, and doesnt need to use power when maintaining an image. This gives it disruptive potential vis--vis both hard-printed media as well as electronic screens.
Many other applications would welcome these advantages and could be accepting of the tradeoffs. Some ideas that come to mind are signage and flexible electronic price tags. In fact, there is already movement down the non-book path; an eInk watch is already for sale, and several cellphones in Europe are being developed to have roll-out flexible displays that significantly increase screen real estate while maintaining the phones small form factor. These markets may well prove to be important stepping-stones for the commercialization of this potentially disruptive technology. Ultimately, given the more recent developments in both color and video-capable epaper, eInk may eventually allow us to rethink the very definition of screens.