Hardware and Content

Another interesting week.

Hot on the heels of the release of Kindle 2, comes very tantalising announcements from another direction. Plastic Logic have a very slick hardware platform that comes straight from sci-fi movies of the 90s. With a 8.5 x 11 inch screen, this is an eReader platform that is perfect for larger format publications like magazines and newspapers. It is then not surprising that a number of heavy-weight content providers like Zinio, McGraw-Hill and the New York Times have already signed up to support the platform for its release in 2010.

One area I see Plastic Logic making big inroads is in the music publishing industry because this is the first screen I have seen that is PERFECT to display music scores. Other attempts by orchestras and musical ensembles to try and reduce their dependence on paper have never been practical despite a fortune being spent in the quest. I can however see this technology sitting very comfortably in concert halls around the world in the next decade, a move that potentially could save music organisations and publishers millions of dollars each year.

So is it the hardware or the content that is driving these advances? As history has shown, you cannot succeed without both which is why I believe that Kindle and Plastic Logic each have bright futures.

Now we have to consider that instead of having just one device to satisfy our digital print appetites we will need at least two?

Is Kindle the Digital Holy Grail?

This piece: http://www.alleyinsider.com/2009/1/printing-the-nyt-costs-twice-as-much-as-sending-every-subscriber-a-free-kindle has sparked some interesting comment the industry about print v. digital.

If you do not live in the USA you may wonder why is Kindle the comparison point for all things digital. This is a very cool piece of hardware from Amazon which has a number of innovations, the most important being its "electronic ink" display which uses reflected rather than projected light. It is actually a joy to read day or night.

Whether or not Kindle is a triumph of design, marketing, or both it is now the basis from which all competitors are judged. Those users lucky enough to get one (because demand has outstripped supply ever since its launch) are even more noticeable than the iPhone zealots of 2008.

If you have not got your hands on a Kindle yet, then if you read this blog I suspect you will not have long to wait.