eBizBlog

Despite planting my feet firmly in the virtual world – the web is my bread and butter after all – I have been known, on occasion, to wax sentimental about certain age-old tools of communication – namely paper and ink.  In fact, in this very blog, I have opined about the persistent relevance of paper.

However, time marches on, as does innovation, bringing us retakes on some of our favourite things. Case in point – the advent of increasingly popular “e-paper” devices. These thin pieces of plastic match the approximate dimensions of a legal pad and use hundreds of thousands of microcapsules to deliver an extremely reasonable simulation of ink on paper.  In other words, you could soon subscribe guilt free, to magazines, newspapers and book-of-the-month clubs. E-paper and the devices that make use of it, known as e-readers, offer all the convenience of accessing information online, without the hassle of being chained to a PC or laptop. Nary a tree need perish to bring you the pleasure of the latest issue of your favourite rag while curled up on the sofa or in the passenger seat on a road trip to the cottage.

Clearly, there are many compelling reasons to think that e-paper could, in fact, become the greatest thing since sliced bread.  One of the beauties of the e-reader concept is that it embraces the intrinsic value of full format literature in contrast to the bites, clips and chats of the early years of this decade.  While the overall business model for this technology is in its early evolution, (see Michael Copeland’s article in Fortune Magazine), this invention could make a real difference in these eco-sensitive and cash-strapped times.  Witness the words of Russell Wilcox, CEO of E Ink, the corporation responsible for the technology that makes the images and text on most e-readers possible. “We’re not only going to save publishing,” he says, “we’re also going to save civilization.”  A slight overstatement perhaps, but a big step in the right direction nonetheless.