An e-Reading Device for Newspaper Readers

Sunday's New York Times had an article on a new e-reader that may offer help to the beleaguered newspaper industry.

According to the Times, Plastic Logic has introduced:

its version of an electronic newspaper reader: a lightweight plastic screen that mimics the look — but not the feel — of a printed newspaper.

The device, which is unnamed, uses the same technology as the Sony eReader and Amazon.com’s Kindle, a highly legible black-and-white display developed by the E Ink Corporation. While both of those devices are intended primarily as book readers, Plastic Logic’s device, which will be shown at an emerging technology trade show in San Diego, has a screen more than twice as large. The size of a piece of copier paper, it can be continually updated via a wireless link, and can store and display hundreds of pages of newspapers, books and documents.

Since the print and delivery costs now are about 65% of a newspaper's total cost, the Plastic Logic device would have the potential of cutting expenses for the industry, which is suffering mightily as readers migrate to reading their news on line. An e-reader that mimics the look of a newspaper plus offering wireless service and portability may be very attractive to readers.

See the article here.