Throw the eBook at em
The notion of digital onscreen graphics (web) replacing printed media is not a new one. However, the idea of books making way for digital readers sends a shiver down your spine. Although there are other models on the market, the Sony Reader seems to have drawn a considerable amount of media attention of late.
There are obvious benefits to owning a digital ‘reader’ not least the fact that they can hold up to 160 eBooks. Imagine all of those empty bookshelves up and down the country. Although we can’t see this happening over night, especially as the Sony Reader is priced at a not very inviting £199.00.
The main drawback to these ‘readers’ is the lack of presence. A book remains a physical object, tangible and personal to it’s owner. A great cover design can draw our attention and add character to a book. We can become immersed in a book, picking it up everyday, creasing the cover and folding the corners when we can’t find a bookmark, oh and the battery never runs out on a book! The battery on the Sony Reader is rumored to last up to 7,000 page turns, although this appears to be a considerable amount you can guarantee that it will run out just when you don’t want it to.
Each eBook purchased is rights managed, in a similar way to tracks downloaded from the iTunes Store. The software is Windows based and not geared towards Mac OS (getting a thumbs down from us), but apparently with a bit of jiggery pokery it can be hooked up to a Mac. You can also view PDF’s… in monotone (oh the joy, whoop whoop), but we all have iPods for that, don’t we?
It appears that Waterstones are the official re-seller of the Sony Reader. For more info, check out this link. www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=1576
Tags: Marketing, Product Design
