Researchers from Maryland and UC Berkeley Universities have come up with an e-book prototype which could transform how next generation e-book readers are designed and used. The prototype — which you can see in the picture above — is still in the early stages of development, however the initial user reaction has been positive. The prototype e-book tries to address some of the usability issues that most e-book readers fail at – things like flipping through pages, comparing documents or folding pages. Every single e-book reader out there right now only has one screen, so the switch to dual-screen seem like a natural one.
Another interesting aspect about the prototype is that it is modular in design, meaning you could connect any number of devices together to create a large reading area.
The researches from the universities presented the prototype at the CHI08 conference, you can read the paper here. (1.6mb PDF). Learn how to open SWF file.
The researches have also put together this video which highlights some of the features of the dual-display e-book prototype.
Source: New Scientist
Wow, they think that going back to needing two hands to hold it is an improvement? Seriously?
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