E-book concept combines leather and multi-touch

It's likely that the Kindle's popularity is going to spawn a whole slew of e-books vying for the eyes of readers. A concept from a student named Nedzad Mujcinovic at Monash University could very well stoke the fires of competition if his Livre ever makes it to store shelves. The system uses an e-ink screen overlaid with a touch surface, thus forgoing the multitudinous buttons of the Kindle for an ultra-simple, gesture-based input scheme. Pages can be turned by sliding your finger from corner to corner, though double- and triple-finger gestures will advance the book by ten and 50 pages, respectively. Most notable for real book fans is the inclusion of a leather stitched cover, meant to evoke the look and feel of the device's analog counterpart. Amazon's designers would be wise to, uh... take a page from Nedzad's book for the Kindle 2.

[Thanks, Nick B.]

[julz007 @ Feb 27th 2008 9:40AM]

hopefully this will come soon so we stop cutting down so many amazonian trees

i still think well need some to wipe our arses with but i think some bright spark will think up some cool way to do it

[Raheem @ Feb 27th 2008 9:49AM]

I think I'd rather wipe my arse with the Kindle.

[gwyn @ Feb 27th 2008 9:58AM]

Three sea shells

[egokick @ Feb 27th 2008 12:44PM]

hemp is the answer

[Fall-Apart @ Feb 27th 2008 1:07PM]

Nice Demolition Man reference!

[Jeebus @ Feb 28th 2008 2:18PM]

Amazon trees are NOT used for paper.

[Matt @ Feb 27th 2008 9:41AM]

Amazing that a student could do what Amazon's "design" team could not. Looking at this leather-bound touch screen reader, there is no need to rationalize the design to try to make it feel attractive. It just IS attractive. I'd buy that.

[Michelle Tackabery @ Feb 27th 2008 9:59AM]

I'm with Matt - the reason the book has stuck around is because it works. This looks like a book with the functionality of an iPod. Speaking of iPod - Apple? I think they would do this before Amazon would. I am DYING for an eBook that would actually work this way; I buy 10 books a month. Anyone listening?

[Azayzel @ Feb 27th 2008 10:23AM]

Actually, the concept is more in line with the Sony Reader, a much better design than the Kindle and the first eInk reader. The mockup looks almost exactly like a 2G Sony Reader with a custom cover on it, he probably also got the idea for the swipe gesture from the Panasonic WordsGear, which already uses a swipe gesture to change pages and navigate menus, albeit on the border and not on the screen ala iPod Touch.

So hopefully some of the next-gen eReaders will incorporate existing tech, much as this mash-up has.

[Nick @ Feb 27th 2008 11:06AM]

It reminds me of a Chumby ^-^

[Nick @ Feb 27th 2008 11:06AM]

It reminds me of a Chumby ^-^

[NovaLand @ Feb 27th 2008 12:01PM]

This looks so cheap my mother would have had problems to bring me to the world in the first place!

[James Yopp @ Feb 27th 2008 12:29PM]

It's quite inconsistent for a device with an E-Ink display to be driven by a capacitive touch panel -- the touch part would draw more power than the screen itself, and touch navigation on an eBook reader is kind of silly.

Now, before I had an eBook reader, I would have thought the touch panel is awesome. And maybe it is, for secondary input. But reader hardware is not the same as an iPod touch. I've read full-length novels on lots of devices, including my cell phone, a Sony PRS-500, and the iPod Touch. The ONLY reason the iPod touch works is because it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and you can scroll with your thumb. On a larger reader, it would be a HORRID idea to require two-handed operation. Plus, at least to me, there's something convenient (noncognitive) about keeping your finger or thumb on the page-advance button.

This could be made into a decent design, but I feel strongly that IF they made a reader with multi-touch, 98% of the people who think this is an awesome idea would regret their purchase.

[nschively @ Feb 27th 2008 2:16PM]

Created an inch thick form factor with the body of a Newton and a leather cover that you can DIY? How is that attractive?

[enzo @ Feb 27th 2008 9:56AM]

I wonder if would be possible to give it pen input... that would make it very interesting.

[Yubastard @ Feb 27th 2008 10:48AM]

to highlight some phrases and bend the corner a little to bookmark the page.

[IT Certification Videos @ Feb 27th 2008 9:56AM]

I still think we're a little ways away from a true book replacement, but I really like the concept.

Especially when you think of students, and textbooks. They can download textbooks instantly for each class, carry a whole semesters worth of books on one device, everywhere they go, along with everything else (other books, newspapers, etc).

Hopefully that would cut down on textbook costs. Then hopefully some company comes along that enables you to create your own custom textbook mashups, taking chapters from various books and creating a class specific ebook.

Now we're talking... :)


Chris
www.PalaestraTraining.com

[Paul @ Feb 27th 2008 10:20AM]

I agree with the textbook replacement. As a medical student, I try not to carry books because they are too big. I try to be completely paperless, but I am definitely the minority. People just like the feel of paper and using highlighters. So, pen input of some sort and color screens should be added. I think the biggest improvement they could make to e books, especially for textbooks is to add a second screen. This way, diagrams or pictures could be displayed on one screen while the accompanying text is on the other. Also, it would be good for review questions, especially for physics and math, where you click on a link for the answer and the solution would show up on the other page.

[Yubastard @ Feb 27th 2008 10:52AM]

^^^ yess, yess, paul that is awesome, two screens definitely needed. and pen input for highlighting and bending the corner a little for bookmark. 4 finger swipe would get you from bookmark to bookmark.

[sully @ Feb 27th 2008 12:18PM]

The idea of hooking up and getting the student paper daily podcast style and being able to read that over my morning waffles or play the sudoku in a praticularly boring lecture is great.

I think a significant design improvement would be to be able to open up, a la "a book" and use one side to display problems, constraints, constant tables, steam data, etc.. and the other side used notebook style for working out these problems. I think this could be a truly innovative way to seamless blend the new and old into a quality engineering education.

[Norton @ Feb 27th 2008 1:08PM]

In San Diego, when I was in grad school a few years ago we would-
A. Buy books at bookstore
B. Drive to Tijuana and have all books scanned to pdf for about $50.
C. Return books
D. Use laptops as books.
I would prefer and e-book reader though

[John @ Feb 27th 2008 3:39PM]

You went to Tijuana and all you did was scan textbooks? You poor soul.

[SR @ Feb 27th 2008 9:57AM]

This is what an E-book should be. It makes the Kindle designers look incompetent. As exalted as the Kindle has been, not for second have I felt like dropping the book I'm reading to get it. This on the other hand is simple genius. I hope his idea doesn't get stolen, and that he gets the credit/financial rewards from his design. Even if he doesn't want the money, he can designate a charity which is better than the money going to some slimy corporate fatcat.

[Kaminix @ Feb 27th 2008 10:25AM]

The Kindle itself too make the Kindle design team look incompetent.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Feb 27th 2008 10:02AM]

Does anyone else have an urge to dump Linux on one of these Wifi-equipped ebook readers? It could be the return of the text-based shell! PDAs with extremely long battery life and very readable text-based browsing :)

...Maybe it's just me.

[turn_self_off @ Feb 27th 2008 4:13PM]

the irex illiad runs linux, but i dont know if it has a terminal available.

[shamus @ Feb 27th 2008 7:03PM]

The Sony Reader also runs Linux, pretty sure the Kindle does as well.

[kinshadow @ Feb 27th 2008 10:23AM]

I'm not sure a multi-touch interface would work with the current tech. The e-paper refresh rate would just make the experience frustrating.

[alphamerik @ Feb 27th 2008 10:50AM]

Agreed, with ~ 1sec refresh rate a wrong gesture would be very annoying. I find the navigation stick on the sony reader annoying enough as it is. Also, how much is battery life changed by adding touch sensors?

[Robobagins @ Feb 27th 2008 10:25AM]

I think it's sad that most of these ebook things aren't as useful as a good old PDA. The only reason I still tote around my Dell Axim is because It Is My Library. It'll handle just about any ebook format I through at it, I can hold it with one hand and still turn pages, and the display doesn't hurt my eyes. Also why the heck do these e-ink displays take so long to "turn the page?" I want to read, not wait.

[NHAnimator @ Feb 27th 2008 11:00AM]

Meh. I remember watching a Star Trek NG episode (yeah, I was young and naive) where Picard pointed out one of his favorite possessions: a book. It was a foreign object to whomever he was talking (#2?), but he commented about the tactileness and smell and interactivity of sitting down and reading a "book". It was kind of funny, but the Kindle kinda reminds me that it's where we're going.

To me, it's like the self-driving car. No fan of driving will ever give up the feel of the road and control of the animal. I'll take the GPS, but I still like the feel of hugging a corner at speed.

[CraigJ @ Feb 27th 2008 11:31AM]

I looked at a Sony e-book. Apparently there is something about e-ink that makes the entire page go black when it draws a new page. That is really, really annoying, to the point that I have no interest in this.

Does anyone know if this is inherit in the design of e-ink? I read a lot, and this is a deal killer for me...

[nschively @ Feb 27th 2008 1:48PM]

It seems to be - and you get used to it....

[David @ Feb 27th 2008 11:32AM]

I love it! It seems like it should have come from the world of apple. Im not surprised its taken a student to design it, I would create anything to stop the heavy load of book carrying I have to do.


www.yourfaceisanadvert.com

[oversandal @ Feb 27th 2008 11:42AM]

In your face Amazon! I would definitely buy such product if it's available in the market. Of course, when it's with the reasonable price.

I really don't know where Amazon got the idea for charging $300 for the e-book reader. If it was $100, I would buy it without the doubt. Are there any other decent priced e-book reader other than Kindle.

[nschively @ Feb 27th 2008 1:41PM]

Oversandal - The Kindle is reasonably priced compared with other readers. Sony is $300, iLiad is $700. Kindle is $400, with "Whispernet."

[oversandal @ Feb 27th 2008 3:43PM]

Damn, I guess I need to wait few more years to see whether the e-book readers' price -in-general will ever drop below $200. Until then, I'll just stick with the old-style, plain-book. Thanks for the info.

[tony @ Feb 27th 2008 11:55AM]

Wow, I'm impressed. Like somone said - embarassing one of the world's largest internet companies and retailers couldn't come up with anything near this interesting or logical. Leave it to the college design kids to bring common sense and ingenuity to the table. Give this guy a fat contract or royalties and sell the design to a manufacturer with a real interest in good product design.

[R. @ Feb 27th 2008 11:59AM]

Too bad Dyson gave an award for this, this 'concept' was on the market in 1998, leather cover and all. Google it - it's called the Softbook Press Reader; been out of production for several years.

Apparently ahead of it's time...

[Stephen Lang @ Feb 27th 2008 12:23PM]

That device had a backlit LCD screen, with a reported battery life of 4 hours or so. If that works for you, then a PDA will too (I still have a Sony CLIE SJ20 for that purpose.)

While I don't have a big problem with B&W LCD, these eink devices are totally different technology. It may be a couple of years before something like this concept is possible at a realistic selling price. I do love the idea of a touch-sensitive screen though, much better than an array of buttons.

The new Sony Reader has a very nice screen, very contrasty, though refresh time is still not quite there. It would be nice if they could eliminate ghosting too, that would help with the page transitions.

[TMack @ Feb 27th 2008 12:24PM]

They are getting closer and closer to the real thing. This will no more replace a traditional book than a jpeg will do away with snapshots or paintings--not for years, anyway. Still, it's nice to have both.

[RichardBronosky @ Feb 27th 2008 12:40PM]

CONTENT?!

The thing that is holding back ebooks is the lack of content. The thing is holding back consumers is DRM. Anything I see with DRM, I know will not work for something (legal) I want to do with it.

I read tech books. I have a gazillion O'Reilly books, and half a gazillion other tech books. I would LOVE to have access to all of them everyday at work. I would be able to read so much more if I had them in an ebook device. I usually stop reading because my arms get tired of holding a 1000-1500 page 7x9x2-3 inch book in bed at night. I have stopped buying books cause I can't find the time to finish them.

DRM is stopping me from buying media all over the place! Audio, Video, Books... all media is SUFFERING from DRM. When will they get the picture?

[farfisa @ Feb 27th 2008 12:56PM]

The only thing the Kindle has over this thing is that the Kindle actually works.

[RichardBronosky @ Feb 27th 2008 1:13PM]

Oh to be a student, know everything, and completely ignore reality! I sure miss those days.

http://student.designawards.com.au/application_detail.jsp?status=2&applicationID=3431

Check it out, only a dollar per day! They eliminate the need to ever upgrade by removing the CPU and "Graphics Card" from the PC. Just do it all over the internet. Why didn't anyone else think of this? Gee, he's even got the pricing plan worked out!

[rabatjoie @ Feb 28th 2008 9:19AM]

It's a PC for China, therefore it has to use chopsticks as an input device!

[broli @ Feb 27th 2008 1:38PM]

I made this uber cool msPaint concept of an ebook reader a while back, here's a part of it...

http://aycu37.webshots.com/image/45836/2003026000207551863_rs.jpg

The orange stripes represent layered pages just like a real book.

This guy is getting closer to my dream eReader!

[nschively @ Feb 27th 2008 2:03PM]

How is this an embarrassment?

Kid has a pretty good idea, but this is a prototype - he's hardly figured out the problems of mass-producing this sucker. It's also like an inch, inch-and-a-half thick. Contrary to what was believed, the Kindle is quite thin. Maybe that extra room is needed to power the battery on the multitouch screen? And how much is that second screen and battery supply going to cost when he wants to mass produce this thing.

It seems he has a good idea with gestures to turn pages, but what other capabilities are there?

Text input? Does it say anything about note taking? He's got bluetooth, but what about instant download of content via cellular broadband?The fatcats at Amazon figured out all those problems PLUS how to mass-poduce PLUS got it out the door. He added a method to turn pages.

A possible scenario might be that Amazon did think of this, but abandoned it because it didn't justify the added cost, power drain, and form-factor changes. Not everything makes it into the production model. If it did, the flippin' MBA would actually have an optical drive....

[nschively @ Feb 27th 2008 2:19PM]

Yes, and never mind that $365 is roughly 21% of the per capita income in China as of 2006 ($1740). You can compute, or you can eat - but not both.

[crunkMonkey101 @ Feb 27th 2008 2:26PM]

Man, these ebooks may one day approach the convenience of say, a real book? So I wonder what the positives vs negatives are to date? There is the cool affect of having one of these things, but I still can't bring myself to buy one.

So far, the only positive I see to ebooks are that they can store multiple books on them, and that their battery life is better than a laptop. Great, I mean when have I ever been out for the day and needed 5-6 books to read? So I guess storing multiple books is pointless then. The other positive is the battery life, which is better than a laptop. OK, but if my first point was that I never need more than a book or 2 in a given day, then the battery life doesn't really matter as I would just carry a normal old paper book. Also, maybe I just am not versed on the features of the ebook, but is there a search feature? If not, then what is the point really?

The current models are overpriced; I can go get books from the library for free, not so with ebooks. Is it really better for the environment? I mean for god sakes, you are now making an electronic brick to store in a landfill in 5 years rather than a paper book.

[Ian @ Feb 27th 2008 3:28PM]

I'm working on the hack that will enable the eBook to read itself. Achievments galore!