Dual-display e-book concept mimicks reading, makes complete sense
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted June 26th 2008 12:53PM
posted June 26th 2008 12:53PM
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.
Let's try that again: http://www.cs.umd.edu/%7Efrancois/Papers/EBookReaderCHI08.pdf
Double the screens and double the battery drain. This seems like an interesting idea until you factor in that you will have to lug a truck battery around to keep it running.
Microsoft Reader and WM5 for reading all the way!
I'll buy one, but only if it says "Don't Panic" across the back....
How about an ebook that uses actual pages made from electronic paper? Not just two pages, but like real book with 300 pages. You put in the memory chip, and the pages are filled with text from your book of choice and laid out just like the off-the-shelf hardcover version?
It would maintain the feel of reading a book. It would be easy on the eyes, as it's electronic paper and would just look like crisp book pages. It would be capable of presenting any book up to 300 pages, and you could always cycle it somehow to push back already-read pages in books over 300 pages long.
I used to be a bookseller, and a lot of my customers told me they'd "never" use an ebook because they like the feel of reading a real book. They like the weight, they like turning pages, they like the look of pages, and they like it to seem as non-electronic as possible. I lean that way myself-- I might use a one-page/one-screen ebook, but I'd prefer the whole book-reading experience.
Price is a factor, too. I'm attracted to the Kindle, but I wouldn't pay that much for one. It's too high-priced right now.
MAKE ONE SCREEN TOUCH, AND THE OTHER SCREEN NOT TOUCH AND THEN PUT A REALLY FUCKING SMALL MICROPHONE BETWEEN THE SCREENS (but not tell anyone its there) AND THEN INCLUDE A SLOT FOR MEMORY CARDS ON ONE SIDE AND A BIGGER SLOT FOR BIGGER MEMORY CARDS AND THEN MAKE A MEMORY CARD THAT HOLDS SMALLER MEMORY CARDS FOR HOMEBREW DEVELOPMENT.
Why are you yelling?
That thing looks huge and all out of sorts. Couldn't they just use a Nintendo DS for this? Hold it sideways in one hand, then you could just use the D-Pad to turn pages or navigate however so. It's already wireless so you connect to a wireless signal to download books, or they (the books) could be put onto the Nintendo DS media. How many books could fit onto one of those cards anyway? Not to mention, everyone and their grandma's (almost literally!) already has a DS so all you would have to do is develop the software.
I do this now on my Nintendo DS.
I just want a thin, large screen with either touchscreen control or maybe an accelerometer so you can either flick or tilt it slightly to one side to turn a page.
The problem is price. The attraction to these devices is weight. This bad idea works against both. Marketing is the key problem. The various companies now realize that without reading text, pdf html and other non DRM formats no one will buy this product. They still haven't figured out that the consumer must see one to want one, and have questions answers. The FAQS these companies post are nonsense. They aren't taking in input otherwise they would realize they aren't the questions people are asking. They also have no marketing toward older readers who could really use the bigger font feature and the fonts don't go far enough.
Frustrated consumer trying to buy a not piece of crap reader for two years now.
Finally!
They're now heading in the right direction. Leave to Berserkly to run across a needed eveolution (snicker). This prototype can and will be thinner and lighter for production. With the thinner OLED displays, and less power drain you'll have the lighter/thinner displays people have been whining about. While the track ball concept is a fine idea, they need a centered motion center (not something new) so that you can hand wave similar to the motion of turning a page to make it more fundatmental in the way everyone reads books. Now if they could only integrate current flexible displays so that the two pages are seemeless from left to right. That would allow you a more real book experience, and also give you the ability for Landscape illustrations....probably years away. I'd also like to see a WIFI port to download books, and an IR port to share books (if the DRM jerks will let that happen).
As far as software....
I still think Adobe with its flash platform would be the standard for ebooks. Its a well known standard, and seems to be the easiest to convert other scanned data into a readable page format.
They need to come up with a way to "Sticky Tab" pages. Anyone, and everyoen that has read a book has folded a page or marked it in some way to easily come back to. No programmable buttons, but maybe a partitioning of the touch screen so you can just tap the bookmark with it remembering where you left off.
The Zinio reader may also be a good platform to leverage as a starting point.
They're still not quite there. I'll wait for another year or two until the next good tech leap will happen for this product.
I hope those giant numerals aren't supposed to represent page numbers. A verso (left) page is always an even-numbered page and a recto (right) page is always odd-numbered, at least in the United States.
I didn't know paper books have backlighting.
Thanks, but no thanks. I get enough eye strain at work. I'll stick to my current e-ink non-backlit reader.
I agree with the 300 sheet ebook with epaper. But how would you handle the various book sizes?
I think a large single sheet of epaper would be better, you wouldn't pay for more epaper than you needed and you could view almost any page without scaling it. You could also read the newspaper, which is everyone's goal, right? =p
All critiquing aside, the book shown in the photo looks like a very quick read.
It's "University of California, Berkeley" or "UC Berkeley," NOT "Berkeley University!"
True. It also isn't Maryland University. It's The University of Maryland
U of M ftw! Go Terps!
I wonder if it has in big bold print on the back of it the words "Don't Panic!"
The headline had me interested for a millisecond when it said ebook, and then the next millisecond I realized it wasn't an EEE Book modded to have two touch screens with the keyboard taken out :(
See here for video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqGgVrGKTzw
That's a pretty dumb idea IMHO. Why do you have to use two hands to read an eBook? Paper books can't help it, but one hand operation is much more efficient. Don't imitate paper, make something better. It's like making planes that flap their wings to imitate birds...
That is so cool. Great idea
I HAD THIS IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think lighter is better. If two screens means heavier gadget, then drop the second screen!
Ebook readers are already overpriced
filmes gratis
e-book are certainly becoming increasingly popular but one area that I would like to see accelerate is the use of digital textbooks.
Today students are getting crushed by the costs of textbooks and they are spending on average $900 per year on these bulky and hard to carry books. For cost, ease of use and for environmental reasons(no manufacturing, no shipping) reasons it would great to see some focus in this area.
Two pages are better than one, whatever it takes to keep the familiarity of a book so people feel comfortable to use the new devise.
http://www.WholesaleCollegeTextbooks.com
great post, you means text book only??????????
Dual-display e-book is really Kool. But the current price is a big high for me Car donations