Dual-display e-book concept mimicks reading, makes complete sense

It's no surprise that more displays is always better, but when it comes to mimicking the act of reading a book, dual displays is a clear step forward. Researchers at Maryland and Berkeley Universities developed a prototype dual-face, modular e-book reader that allows readers to fan pages to advance in a book or via trackball. If you're doing some serious research, the displays separate from one another, allowing one to display in landscape mode while the other runs in portrait. To complete the book meme, the device can be folded over to run in a more compact manner, and a simple flip changes the page. Possibilities for future e-book readers are endless here, so we applaud Maryland and Berkeley for using those research dollars.

[retro77 @ Jun 26th 2008 12:57PM]

If it makes sense then it wont ever be produced.

[Stiv @ Jun 26th 2008 1:23PM]

And if it is produced, it will run some kind of proprietary crap software on the PC side, won't be compatible with existing e-books, and won't have any software available for users to create their own native format e-books or convert existing e-books.

I love e-books! I have a Sony Reader. I use it every day, but it falls far short of what it could have been had the customer experience been the focus.

[Joe @ Jun 26th 2008 1:56PM]

Wow! They took two eBooks and put them side-by-side like a real book. I wonder how much money & time these geniuses spent on this project. These innovators deserve an award.

[OneLove @ Jun 26th 2008 5:27PM]

How about one screen , swipe your hand left to right to turn the page. right to left to go back.

[Wes @ Jun 26th 2008 10:35PM]

That's odd. You can buy $30.00 e-book and other function hardware equipment for your Nintendo DS that does the same idea :o. How...odd.

Oh well, I can always spend lots of money on new hardware for the same dual-screen effect?

[RC @ Jun 26th 2008 1:00PM]

The fact that they can separate negates my big complaint with this concept. I don't want a two paged, heavy, awkward e-book. I want to hold it in one hand, turn the page with a single touch, etc.

[T.J. @ Jun 26th 2008 2:38PM]

You realize that you can fold the second screen all the way around the back, so its basically a 2 sided e-book reader. Then you can just turn the pages by flipping the thing over.

[Andrew @ Jun 26th 2008 1:03PM]

I don't want to use two hands to read a book!

I want a lightweight, one hand operated landscape-style reader.

I want it to be priced reasonably, and handles multiple formats.

I don't want to pay the same price for an ebook as the cost of a normal paperback. (This should be simple, no printing costs = less cost per ebook)

Thanks!

[chickenator @ Jun 26th 2008 1:50PM]

me too

[whowhatme @ Jun 26th 2008 2:12PM]

i want a one-handed method to read books (and view images), too :3

[sk2370 @ Jun 26th 2008 4:01PM]

I don't want to read. I just want information stuffed into my head.

[Kewlrats @ Jun 26th 2008 1:06PM]

Hmm... I liked this idea the first time it was introduced... as the Nintendo DS.

[Ethan @ Jun 26th 2008 1:09PM]

I want it to just be a page, which you turn over to turn over. Bit like this, but take away those buttons.

[riggs @ Jun 26th 2008 1:11PM]

youre like a virus now.

[Dave T. @ Jun 26th 2008 1:11PM]

wasn't the whole point of e-reading or whatever it's called to get rid of something big and bulky for something slim and sexy?

This is a monumental fail.

Also I agree, a touchscreen swipe of the finger to turn pages makes more sense than this.

[insertAlias @ Jun 26th 2008 2:11PM]

This is a concept; a prototype. If it ever moves forward, many things will change, including slimming it down.

[Dave @ Jun 26th 2008 1:18PM]

no e-ink display?!?

[blomster @ Jun 26th 2008 1:19PM]

Make it out of paper.

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 26th 2008 1:33PM]

Yes! And bind it with a cardboard cover instead of that crappy plastic stuff.

That's a novel idea!!

[sully @ Jun 26th 2008 1:41PM]

Would they ever have the spine to be bound to such an idea?

[rlynd3 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:49PM]

...budaching!

[Lein @ Jun 26th 2008 1:25PM]

Why would you want to run your finger along the display of your phone (or media player, if counting the iPod Touch) when something like a simple tap at the corner or along a side could do the same thing, except with a lot less effort (and smudges)?

[jonmacd @ Jun 26th 2008 5:57PM]

Gestures dont require buttons. Thus, minimizing the amount of UI used.

[Yevon @ Jun 26th 2008 1:26PM]

Hey clack, Apple is giving away free a MacBook Air to anyone who jumps off of a cliff. I advise you do it soon before they run out.

[retro77 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:27PM]

I'm actually suprised Apple hasn't released an ebook reader....

[Josh L @ Jun 26th 2008 4:33PM]

Why?

Steve Jobs says people can't read. Why would he then invest money into a device that nobody can use (according to him)?

In seriousness, they'd be much more likely to give the iPhone / iTouch ebook capabilities instead of developing a devoted piece of hardware.

[retro77 @ Jun 26th 2008 4:42PM]

I didn't specify hardware or software. But I was thinking more software. they already have underlying hardware.

[Dagreenman18 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:30PM]

i appreciate the effort, but i will always read physical books. Unless they are textbooks, which can fuck off for being so expensive.

[CosterMonger @ Jun 26th 2008 1:38PM]

we should make text books none profit, open source

[t3_slider @ Jun 26th 2008 1:39PM]

I think that's a valid point (that you will always read physical books), and *currently* I agree, but with e-ink coming up in the future (ignoring the piece of crap e-ink devices out there currently), I think it may be possible to enjoy reading on a device. A nice, thin, book-sized tablet with a protective cover that can flip around to the back on a hinge (like folding a book open to see one page) with simple buttons along the side or bottom would be nice. Of course, it would have to render PDFs nicely or it's a no-go. However, I would much rather carry around one small tablet then 10 books (and reading a book is always awkward when you're trying to hold it open so you can see the text in the middle without breaking the book's spine).

Think about the environment a little, will ya?

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 26th 2008 1:40PM]

I hate to break it to you but it really doesn't get much more physical than holding a reading device in your hand.

[Juaquin @ Jun 26th 2008 1:36PM]

Anyone ever heard the phrase "don't feed the trolls"? Ignore him and he'll eventually leave to fulfill his gigantic need for attention elsewhere.

[Pizzicato @ Jun 26th 2008 1:36PM]

The concept actually makes sense if you can navigate the screens separately. For reading a novel it's pretty much the same if you read page 3 press a button and switch to page 4 or if you see pages 3 and 4 on two screens at once. For scientific literature however it would be great to have a device where examples, pictures or anotations are displayed on a second screen. Not having to turn pages back and forth to find what you were just reading about would be really nice. It would even be an advantage that e-book have over normal books.

[initialxy @ Jun 26th 2008 1:37PM]

write one with iPhone SDK if you are smart enough

[initialxy @ Jun 27th 2008 8:36PM]

huh? so my reply to mock an apple fanboy remained while the comment i replied to got magically deleted. now everybody thinks i'm a fanboy and got low ranked.

interesting

[naz @ Jun 26th 2008 1:39PM]

Another Clak Shitstorm

[Joshua @ Jun 26th 2008 1:39PM]

I agree with Andrew. . for the most part. I want a one handed reader that I can read in EITHER landscape or portrait view via accelerometer. I'd also like. . .

Internet ready so I can read blogs
Downloadable books
touch screen page turning in a command area (touching an area separate from the reading portion of the screen)
Include a writing functionality either by stylus or (preferably) digital keyboard for note taking
. . .

my 2 cents

[Cycomachead @ Jun 26th 2008 1:40PM]

It does make some sense, but:
When I'm reading a book I'm only looking at one page. I know to go to the next page, but while I'm reading it basically doesn't exist.
Ebook readers are already overpriced, I wouldn't be going for this based upon price.

However, it could be very useful for books with lots of pictures or some text books where you need to go back and re-read a lot.

But there's nothing wrong with having options on the market.

[jkads @ Jun 26th 2008 1:43PM]

I envision Apple doing something similar to this as well. Here are some really simple concepts off of the iPod Touch/iPhone that I put together:


[IMG]http://i28.tinypic.com/mx22c7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.tinypic.com/2saz3gx.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.tinypic.com/14nh3jl.jpg[/IMG]

[XenoX101 @ Jun 27th 2008 4:08AM]

Why..

[sully @ Jun 26th 2008 1:44PM]

I like this idea simply because when I practice my school problems, I need to be looking at a reference page and writing at the same time. Make a tablet pen on one of the sides and the ability to save handwritten notes (either on a seperate sheet, or jotted into the origonal book).

Then get rid of distribution and printing costs for textbooks and it would be the perfect product and pay for itself in 1-2 semesters (assuming books would go down to 40 bucks or so)

The publishers would get to sell the licenses anew each semester without dealing with the flood of new books on the market, wins all around.

[Tom @ Jun 26th 2008 1:47PM]

I'm sorry. But that has to be the absolute dumbest and most useless idea I've ever seen that wasn't a joke or parody.

[BigD145 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:49PM]

Paper books are still superior. For research, you can have dozens of books open and earmarked (along with loose paper) without having to wait on loading screens. The only real alternative to this is a full scale table that serves the same function, but is $30k+ a pop, weighs many pounds above and beyond a stack of books moved in chunks, and requires a power source. E-ink may not require much power, but the touchscreen will.

[Andrew @ Jun 26th 2008 2:05PM]

not really. With a proper menuing system, (or even a tabbed system on a touchscreen device) You'll be able to have just as many books open at a time without having your work area buried underneath textbooks.

Granted the current 6inch screens won't work well for this. But a letter/A4 sized device would be fine IMO

I always thought I'd keep reading real books. But once I started reading on my PDA (in landscape mode with mobipocket) I haven't stopped.
80 books later I just look at the dusty pile of paperbacks I have yet to read, and then shrug and grab my PDA (currently storing 120 books)

I do want one of the new eink readers. But the flash/refresh on them is distracting enough for me that I'll keep waiting.

[skulldriveshaft @ Jun 27th 2008 12:35AM]

You mean like tabbed browsing?

[tyler @ Jun 26th 2008 1:51PM]

Please, don't feed the animals. Eventually they will starve and look for food elsewhere.

[charlie @ Jun 26th 2008 1:58PM]

This seems like a terrible idea. Whenever the book is flexible enough to allow it, I always fold it over so that I can hold it in one hand anyway. And then I can use the other to drink or hold a pen to take notes/ annotate.

eBook readers will only become big when they offer a real advantage to make them better than actual books. I would think that things like including hyperlinks to outside primary information / citations with integrated wifi and a browser in the reader would be decent. Also, I imagine they could do something transformational as far as highlighting and annotating the books. And let people share their annotations for collaboration.

Hmm... running though this logic it seems like the way to break open the eBook market would be to invent one specifically for the college / grad school market, where there you would have the added advantage of if you could sell the concept to the school, the school would then mandate that all their students buy eBooks for getting digital versions of textbooks and interactive class things / sharing notes and annotations.

[tony @ Jun 26th 2008 2:06PM]

Makes complete sense? I guess if constantly draining your battery with a 2nd display, when you will only ever be looking at one at a time makes complete sense.

[ComradeZ @ Jun 26th 2008 9:12PM]

You do realize that ebooks typically don't use power to maintain a static display, right?

[Brody @ Jun 26th 2008 2:13PM]

In case anyone really wants to see the full story on this device, read the paper on the prototype (PDF).