Evolution of the EBook

Although not a brand-new invention, the ebook reader is getting new traction, with Amazon's Kindle 2 and Sony's PRS-505. Resembling PDAs in form, the challenge readers always had was resembling that "ink on paper" look, so critical in helping to eliminate eye fatigue and imitating the real thing. Publishers have taken notice of the resurgence in interest of these devices, and some have fundamentally changed the distribution methods accordingly. In 2006, Sony debuted their "e-ink" technology, a form of liquid crystal that looks surprisingly like actual print. Like portable music devices, the advantages of ebook readers are obvious, such as enormous capacity and weight. Possibilities of embedding audio and video to augment the text exist, as do features such as deletable annotation and highlighting. Although more delicate than a book, content providers reserve the option to replace (re-download) content lost in the event of a catastrophic hardware failure.

Most recently, Apple's phone has been reported to be the most widely-used ebook reader, boding well for the concept of digital distribution and authorship. Started in 1971 with the Gutenberg Project, online-only distribution has yet to achieve the same level of global distribution music has. Fundamentally considered by many authors to the antithesis of everything good about books, writers such as J.K. Rowling have panned the idea of online distribution, publicly proclaiming there will "never be an online Harry Potter." Others, like Stephen King, have released content only readable on a digital device.

Paying attention to the resurgence in ebook tablets and content downloads, manufacturers like Samsung are putting more focus into OLED (organic light emitting diode) panels that are already being utilized as digital business cards in Japan. Flexible enough to be repeatedly manipulated without failure, flexible electronics are membranes containing thin conductors. Organic material is "printed" on the surface, and excited/illuminated by small levels of current passing through the conductors, making an electronic form of invisible ink. Perfect for ebook applications, flexible "pages" can be rolled and flipped, and do not require a backlight for operation, positively affecting battery life. Although initially proffered as another form of television display, OLED offers high contrast ratios and very good off-axis reading capabilities. OLED is a perfect choice for more esoteric ebook applications that would cater to the "paper bound" enthusiast, although practical implementation may be a few years off due to lifespan and durability issues.

Naturally, as with any digital distribution scenario, copy protection issues are prevalent. Technology such as "click-wrapping" a process by which the user agrees to copyright terms prior to allowing access to content. Effectively a digital version of shrink wrapping, click wrapping is a form of content protection that forces users to "click through" a window stating usage terms. Commonly found on software downloads, click wrapping is of limited usefulness in terms of presenting the content via torrent applications, but does allow legal recourse for owners of intellectual property that has been illegally re-distributed. The most sure form of protection might reside in the much-hated DRM (digital rights management) restricting the content to one (or a few) machines. Doing so would still allow free use of the content for portability purposes, while nearly eliminating the prospect of mass re-distribution.

Book lovers and the type typically found using readers need not be disparate entities. Although lacking the tactile feel, smell, and overall sensory experience of a book, ebook readers offer convenience and portability for trips and in scenarios where an individual dare not allow the paper copy to leave the house. Additionally, as has been displayed with digital music downloads, online book offerings can (and have) spurred additionally interest in other works and actual printed copy. Moving forward, we can expect to see a more-mainstream acceptance and proliferation of works and devices to read them. With technology like OLED potentially blurring the differences even further, that acceptance may come sooner rather than later.