The cell phone/smart phone that we carry is slowly evolving into an all purpose device. Besides being a phone it is a camera, it is my walkman/iPod, FM radio and so on. It lets me read and send email as well as text messages. So on and so forth! It plays video clips for me. I may soon be able to see TV broadcasts as well as videocasts via the internet and so on.
It's a short jump to let you read a book through the same too! Did you hear about Kindle promoted by Amazon? It is into its second generation already. It is a book sized device that gives you the feel of holding a book in your hands. Page turning is done electronically of course. But otherwise the display has a look and feel of a black printed white page. Books can be downloaded very easily over the wireless. It can carry several books and in exchange for subscription/prices you can get to read even recent books.
Google has now launched a service beginning of Feb that lets you download books and read them on your mobile device. The library is of 1.5 million books that Google has in its collection suitable for mobile viewing. Being in a completely electronic format these books can be searched easily and bookmarked easily. Right now, only iPhone and Android phone owners can take advantage of this service. It's not difficult to see that this would become more widespread soon.
The screen is so small on these mobile devices that reading on it is not going to be very a comfortable experience. I do not know if I would want to do that. Except for a little novelty value that makes me curious, I cannot see myself reading a book on it. Reading a text message, an email is about enough for me. Will it ever become a medium for reading a book? The portability and the comfort of the damn device are undeniable. Display size is increasing, pushed by the demand to view video comfortably.
There is a limit to what size the display can become. Beyond a size it would start losing the portability advantage. On the other hand, we are so used to the 10 or 12 point size text in a display area like at least a paperback. Kindle seems to have taken that approach. There are other readers in the market that are following that approach. Even with that approach the question of how comfortable you are reading an electronic display is an issue. That might go away as more and more people comfortable reading stuff off of an electronic display is growing.
But from a mobile device screen! Google has bet big on it. Will a large section of people read from these devices? Only future would tell, I guess.
Debasis Das has worked with technology companies for close to four decades, 25 years of which has been with IT consulting companies. He has managed software and Geospatial industry outsourcing from India for International clientele. He has worked with customers from US, Europe, Japan and China. He is widely traveled and currently engaged in consultancy in software, embedded systems and technical contents.
Contact at ddas15847@yahoo.com
Web site at http://www.consult-debasis.com
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