Tablets, Thin Clients and Web Pads

I've been waiting for an electronic "book" since I was a kid. Next year there will be many choices and I am more than ready. I love to read, watch video and listen to music and one of these devices is going to get it right, allowing users to do all this in a thin comfortable package. Below are the devices that I know about, but I am sure there are other secret projects happening as we speak.

The video above is the first peek at the Time, Inc. secret "Manhattan Project" which is actually a digital tablet magazine. It looks very promising. See another video demo here.

Of course there is the Amazon Kindle which is really cool, but it's black and white and has no multimedia capabilities. The Barnes & Noble Nook seems OK and has a small capacitive touch screen, but doesn't feel to me like a cohesive unit.

Microsoft's secret tablet: Courier. It's not a tablet, it's a "booklet".

Google has two operating systems (which will one day merge I'm sure) and companies are developing devices for these platforms. Take a look at some of these Android tablets. Also, The New York Times has a recent review of the eDGe by enTourage Systems: "Devices to Take Textbooks Beyond Text". T-Mobile has also announced a tablet which will run on Android.

There are tons of hints about an Apple iPad, but for now it remains a rumor. I know it will happen...but when?


Michael Arrington and TechCrunch have been working on the CrunchPad and it is very promising. However, there was some business upheaval this week so the future of the project is uncertain.

The Litl Computer by John Chuang of Aquent is an interesting approach with no OS. It is somewhere between a notebook and a tablet. It's "easel mode" is intended to make reading and browsing easier.

Will one of these devices become the break-away leader? Will they all grab part of the market? Or is there something else being developed out there in a garage that will soon blow our minds? Whatever happens, I'm ready to create content for it...that's when the real fun begins.

Digital Paper, eBooks and Multimedia Storytelling

Although I still subscribe to two newspapers and I love to read magazines and books, I am nonetheless excited about all the new eBook readers and digital paper technologies becoming available. With so many newspapers in trouble, many writers and readers are going digital.

The Kindle has really sparked a firestorm of recent interest, but there are a ton of other fascinating projects going on. Soon I hope to be digesting blogs, watching video, and reading articles and novels on a paper-thin, flexible color screen with tiny hi-def speakers. Bring it on!

Check out the links below for info on eBook technology, digital paper and what all this is doing to storytelling.

Watch Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic demonstrate the world's first electronic reader aimed specifically for business users:
(Also see some other video from Plastic Logic.)

Both Plastic Logic and Kindle were recently mentioned on NPR's Marketplace (April 13, 2009): "New e-readers get a big push. E-readers allow users to read books digitally, but sales of the hand-held devices have grown slowly. That may be changing as Amazon and Sony, along with some well-funded start-ups, push a new generation of e-readers. Mitchell Hartman reports." (Listen to the MP3)

Kindle is Cool, But Color Ebook May Save Civilization
Is the digital savior of the sagging magazine industry finally in sight?

Flexible Displays Closer to Reality, Thanks to U.S. ArmyImagine a screen so thin, light and flexible that it can be rolled up and carried in your pocket, while consuming almost zero power. Phillips electronics is also working on a similar epaper technology.

The folks at TechCrunch are working on a great potential product that will be "a very thin and light touch screen computer, sans physical keyboard, that has no hard drive and boots directly to a browser to surf the web." Ladies and gentlemen, The CrunchPad.

Check out the review of the eSlick eBook reader that was announced before the Kindle2.

Samsung ready to roll out Papyrus touchscreen ebook reader Will the touchscreen make this a Kindle killer?

Readers and writers are also starting to develop technologies and communities to adapt and support this new way of publishing (or is it broadcasting?).

Wattpad is called "The World's Most Popular eBook Sharing Community." Self-publishing is also flourishing in this new world at places like WEbook. A company called Vook.tv is in private beta, but promises to be a site to promote and distribute a multimedia hybrid of books and videos.

Is This the Future of the Digital Book? Read about Vook and many other companies in this great NYT article.

The New Storytelling: Multimedia Children's Publishing Kids' publishing houses lead the way in developing multimedia platforms.

Fujitsu shows off colour e-book display. It's new, it's Japanese and it is almost ready for prime time.

Microsoft Surface Test Drive

Today I got to test drive a Microsoft Surface machine while visiting their Issaquah campus. It is kinda like my iPhone, but you can't put it in your pocket. Believe me, I tried.

The sensitivity and immediate feedback was really amazing. The physics of moving virtual items around the table was fascinating...it really responded well. Ok. Who's gonna buy me one?

Tiny Mobile LCD Projectors

I remember when digital projectors were giant, bulky and expensive. Soon companies such as 3M, Samsung and SK Telecom will be offering pocket-sized projectors which will hook up to your mobile phone or laptop and cost less than $400. Get ready to project your favorite YouTube video onto the back of the head of the person sitting in front of you on the bus. Check out the article about all this in today's New York Times.