To document all the research, designs, ideas and blog post I have produced for the IMD eReader / comics project, I am creating a booklet PDF. Until i’ve completed it, i might as well post the pages as I do them and then post the final thing at the end. I think this will be a really useful way for me to display all the work that has gone into this project. After the project is finished I will post the PDF for who ever wants to download it. I might even get it printed, for myself.

Here’s the cover:

And the first 5 pages can be found in my flickr set http://www.flickr.com/photos/probablyrory/sets/72157623560314373/

So, after all the hype and speculation, the apple tablet has been released. Most of you will be thinking “its just a big ipod” and you’d be right, but rather than dwell on the features it doesn’t have, i’m excited about the potential it has in the e-content market. With the iBooks (sounds familiar doesn’t it) store, Apple have created a hyper realistic reading experience that tries very hard to mimic the real reading experience. I really like the interface and i appreciate the detail they have put into it, but at the same time i think that trying to replicate books in such detail on an electronic device creates an even more apparently faux experience. Although I realise that creating a familiar reading interface will increase adoption, there is scope to introduce a new format for reading that is better tailored to the visible and hidden, potentially infinite screen estate. Some have complained that using an LED backlit screen rather than an e-ink display might cause unnecessary eye strain but in my opinion the positives outweigh the negatives. Especially with the potential for multimedia books and interactive comics which would not be possible with current e-ink technology.

And so there’s an ebook (ibooks) store, but wheres the magazine store? (I was looking forward to that!)

To be revised…..

I have been looking on a few different websites to try and figure out what technologies will be available in the near future, the types of technology that might affect e-book readers in particular. After reading sites like e-ink-info.com i’ve come across some evidence that suggests the next generation of e-readers will have substantially better screens, advancements might include, colour, flexibility, touch controls and video playback. With all or at least some of these improvements there’s a lot of scope for some more interactive reading experiences.

Check out e-ink-info for the latest info on e-readers and ebooks http://www.e-ink-info.com/pvi-plans-color-flexible-touch-and-video-enabled-e-ink-displays-2010

Colour E Ink prototype by Fujitsu http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/20/fujitsu-demos-color-e-ink-lcd/