Evolution of Portable Electronic Books

Ruth Wilson     ruth.m.wilson@strath.ac.uk     (EBONI Research Fellow Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR) University of Strathclyde ( web site)

Ariadne 2001
(ReLIS:doi:doiari:y:2001:i:29:p:7)

Abstract:

Many months after reading and hearing about their introduction in the US, portable electronic books are now becoming available in the UK. Franklin’s eBookMan is available online from bestbuy.com and amazon.com and from some high street retailers, the goReader is available for purchase via their Web site, a variety of ebook reading software can be downloaded to PDAs for free via the Internet, and some Pocket PCs are being sold pre-installed with Microsoft Reader. This paper places these developments in context by outlining the evolution of the portable ebook from its original conception in the ‘60s through to the models available today, and on to the possible directions the design of these devices may take in the future.

Note: Ruth Wilson charts the development of portable electronic book hardware, from the first generation models in the 1980s to the range of handheld devices available today.
Month: 02-October-2001
Year: 2001

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