A two-page e-book reader has been prototyped by researchers at Maryland and Berkeley Universities. The basic idea is that users will be able to move to the next set of pages with a flipping motion that comes naturally to regular dead tree book readers.
This two-page e-book reader video has more information; those who are interested in interface design will love this video. Paper books may be commonplace, but they are a remarkable interface for information acquisition; there are very good reasons why they were universally adopted.
(Two page ebook reader video)
The two leaves can be opened and closed to simulate turning pages, or even separated to pass round or compare documents. When the two leaves are folded back, the device shows one display on each side. Simply turning it over reveals a new page.
Technovelgy readers will recall that a two-page e-book reader has already been tried - four years ago. Take a look at the Toshiba SD-Book: An E-Book With Two Pages. Also, see this interesting concept design for a cookbook - the Kitchen Sync.
The logical sf precursor to this development is from the 1985 novel The Diamond Age. See the discussion for runcible to see the advantages of having an e-book with hundred's of paper-thin panels. And don't forget the opton, from Stanislaw Lem's 1961 novel Return from the Stars, one of the earliest descriptions of an e-book. For pure manic pleasure, you can't beat the battery powered 3D comic book from Philip K. Dick's 1965 novel The Zap Gun.
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