Wednesday, December 17, 2008

sorry, kindle, you're being replaced

So much for my love affair with the Kindle. Even as I hold down the ALT key and press Aa to wake it…I'm itching to get my hands on the next generation, the geekily named Plastic Logic Reader. As soon as you see it, you think Why didn't Kindle do that in the first place? Instead of the weird let's-pretend-it's-a-paperback-book-folded-over design which is comfortable to hold but visually awkward, the PLR looks like an Air book. Only thinner and lighter. Like a flat etch-a-sketch. But designed for business use, made to eliminate all that paperwork you lug back and forth. It can read any office document, no matter what platform. And its XL screen allows for comfortable reading of newspapers. Magazines. Even sheet music. It's got wifi. And the battery life is measured in days, not hours. Best of all, the touch screen isn't glass, it's plastic and flexible, so unlike your 401k, it's designed to withstand a few drops and beatings. Not sure when the PLC will be officially launched--maybe they're angsting over a marketable name.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

When it goes color that will be interesting for small presentations, though touch-turn-talk techniques will need some adjusting. Also, maybe it can save the newspaper industry?

Unknown said...

I like it. It's pushing technology forward. But it definitely needs to have a color display to compete with laptop computers and an iPod's video. I don't see how it can save the newspaper industry, however. Would people be more likely to read to this format than an online newspaper? Would advertisers be more willing to spend ad revenue here?

Jessica Gottlieb said...

I'm a bathtub/jacuzzi reader. I need something that floats.

Ad Broad, oldest working writer in advertising said...

@everysandwich Interesting idea for newspaper industry. Surely easier to read on a crowded subway if you've never managed to master the origami fold of a tabloid.

@Kansas Bard Agree with color. Surely doable. Perhaps advertisers would cough up for interactive ads?

@Jessica Gottlieb Same reason I couldn't take Kindle to the beach. But awfully handy in moisture-proof areas.