Buy yourself a hand held device


Alternatives to books

Why are people so dense? Why won't they doBack to books. I can load up text on my
what's good for them? Men in white coats havelaptop. If I have access to the web on my
been sweating in labs for many years tolaptop or desktop computer, I can download
invent the perfect e-book reader, so whyjust about every book that wasn't written
aren't they everyhwere? Why can't people justyesterday, but there is a problem: the
ditch those smelly, crumbly, rotting woodycomputer screen. A screen isn't as easy to
things called 'books' and start living incarry round in my pocket as a book. Compare
Century 21? Ask author Mike Scantlebury andthe situation on a crowded commuter train,
see  if  he  has  any  suggestions.early in the morning. People with paperback
books can read them in any corner, whether
The e-book has been a long time in coming.squeezed against the door or hanging on to a
Way back in the 1980s, when the Personaldangling support. The person with the laptop
Computer was in its infancy, we were toldneeds a table, or even a seat, but room to
that the logic was inescapable: now thatmove their elbows. Ah, but that's why someone
ordinary people could read text on a screen,invented the PDA, you say. You can download
then the days of the printed page wereyour text onto your little pocket machine and
numbered. There was a better way. After all,scan the words in any tight corner. But when
the Personal Computer  we were assured you start listing the attributes of a PDA,
would soon be in every office, in every home,you come to a very strange conclusion. The
and it would give everybody access to thehand-held device is portable, handy, will fit
biggest library in the world, in digitalin your pocket and can be carried around. Can
form. In the future, so the story went, yoube accessed anywhere and shared with friends.
would walk into someone's new house and theIt's small, friendly and human sized. In
most striking feature would be that therefact, it's exactly like a book! There are
would be no bookshelves. There would be noonly two differences, one good, one bad. One
need for any! All data would be stored onis that you can store more than one book on
disks,  out  of  sight.it at any one time. Wow, you're saying that a
device the size of a paperback book can
That first myth is the easiest to deal with.actually store dozens of paperback books
People still have shelves, but they're notinside itself. It's almost like a fairy tale:
necessarily groaning under the weight ofimagine a book that had blank pages and every
books, no. But they probably contain otherday you could wish for a new story and it
media, such as CDs, DVDs, videotapes (sincewould show you it. Then it would blank its
people haven't all moved on yet) and, even,pages until tomorrow, when a brand new,
surprise, surprise, that throwback to theundiscovered story would appear. What could
1970s, the cassette tape. Well, cassettes arebe better than that? Well, something that was
considered a bit old-fashioned now, and manyactually readable. Printers have been working
home entertainment centres don't include afor years to discover fonts that are easy on
means to play them, like they used to. Butthe eye and readable in all lights. The PDA
people like cassettes. They are small,has to try and duplicate the sheer joy of
convenient, easy to carry around in yourblack writing on a white background, a trick
pocket, and could be played anywhere  in thethat can fail in poor ambient light or when
home, the office and your car. Yes, but CDsthe batteries are low. In fact, the problem
are better, we are told. Better soundfor hand-held devices is exactly that. They
quality, better  Hold on, they aren'tcan't deliver a printed page, it's just a
better. As many a computer nerd knows, apretty average copy of one. That's their
round plastic disc is not more convenientweakness.
than a small plastic box. The disc rolls off
the desk or table, it gets scratched, itStill, the market progresses and every year
slips down the side of things and can't be'the e-book' we are told is upon us and
retrieved. Also, it doesn't do well whatfinally delivered to our specifications.
people actually want. In the days of vinylUnfortunately that means  if you go to the
when cassettes were invented, ordinaryweb again and look for e-books to read  that
residents found a terrific use for thethey are downloadable in a variety of
cassette. You could borrow your friend'sconfusing formats as machines vie to become
record, tape it at your house, give it backthe new, universal standard. Perhaps it will
and have a workable copy. No, that's nothappen. Perhaps, even now, the hand-held
happening now: CDs don't do that well. Evendevice is being developed that will become
without 'borrowing' your pal's music, andthe new, acceptable alternative to the novel
using access to the internet and downloadin pocket form. But the test is back here in
sites, the problem is that some CD playersreality, not in the laboratory. Just like
refuse to play 'home made' disks, for'the paperless office', it's a promise that
whatever reason. So you can't slip yourhasn't delivered, a vision that hasn't become
favourite tracks in your pocket and carrya reality. For some reason  some annoying,
them round and play them anywhere  ah, butillogical, all too human reason  the people
that's why someone invented the i-Pod, youwho actually enjoy reading are, as yet,
say. Yes, that does do the trick of storingaddicted to the touch, the feel and maybe
music from anywhere you are lucky enough toeven the smell, of the printed page. They
find it  the web, your friends', somethingstuff books into their pockets in the
someone gave you for Christmas  but it addsmorning, and read printed novels in their
a layer of technology, the computer. If youspare moments and lunch hours. Not yet will
look at a friendly old cassette recorder now,they pull out of their pockets their small
the most important thing was how simple itelectronic friends in order to indulge in
was to operate, how few controls. Comparestories, tall tales and inventions. Why not?
that to the laptop computer. Ouch, there's noWe can only speculate. It's frustrating for
comparison. Saving and storing music is nowthe marketing manager, but interesting for
more flexible, people will tell you. Yes, butthe sociologist. The e-book is here, they
nothing  like  as  downright  simple!cry, so why won't people just co-operate and
start using them?



1 A B 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82