The newspapers of tomorrow--screens that can be rolled up and shoved in a pocket--have been just around the corner for decades, Reuters reports but "as early as this year, the future may finally
arrive." Top newspaper publishers are getting ready to roll out an electronic product that will allow users to grab full editions from the Internet and load them onto digital screens designed to be
easier on the eyes. And flexible versions could be on the market by 2007. The readers couldn't come too soon for the beaten-down print industry, under siege on the circulation and ad fronts from
electronic media. Among the companies planning to give the technology a try are Hearst and Pearson. Reuters notes that earlier attempts by publishers to sell digital readers for books failed due to
price and a lack of downloadable content. But the new versions have impressed with their resolution and efficiency. "This could be a real substitution for printed paper," says Jochen Dieckow, head of
the news media and research division of Ifra, a global newspaper association based in Germany.
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Read the whole story at Reuters via Publish.com »
