Saturday, October 1, 2011

Large-format “e-reader” display device

Are we ever going to see such a device?’

Off and on, over the past three years, I’ve occasionally Google-searched for “large-format e-reader displays” and “wide-format e-reader displays”, only to come up blank for what I was interested in finding.

Not too long ago, I was at an airport baggage-check-in counter and noticed a guy checking in 3 large, screw-post bound, rolls of plans. Looked to me like volumes 1, 2 and 3 of a complete set of plans.

Which, of course, prompted me to again give some thought to my many fruitless Google-searches for a “large-format” or “wide-format” e-reader display device.

The question is, “will there ever be one?”

Probably not in my lifetime. The problem, I think, is one of “demand” for such a device. Same issue that’s always affected developments in reprographics and printing technology – where newly invented or developed printing technology first targets “small-format”, because everyone has a need for “small-format” documents; and, later on, someone decides to think about developing the same thing for “large-format” applications. Such as was the case with the first “xerographic” copier. Small-format Xerox copiers preceded the development of “large-format” Xerox copiers by at least 10 years, if not longer.

If there was a “large-format” e-reader display device, could it not serve as a digital “set” of plans? Or, for that matter, as the display device for many different “digital” sets of plans? You can get an Amazon Kindle and download thousands of different books. Why not a giant Kindle on which you can download hundreds of different sets of A/E/C project plans?

In the past, I’ve read that some organizations are (well, at least one was) working on the development of “flexible” e-reader display devices. Imagine a flexible e-reader display screen that can be rolled up! Or, if not that, at least a rigid e-reader display screen that’ll display an image up to 18” x 24”.

Okay, when any of you hear about a “large-format” (or “wide-format”) e-reader device under development – and I do mean “large-format” (or “wide-format”), reprographer-speak – please bring it to my attention!

2 comments:

  1. Here you go Joel,

    One of our Regional Sales guys sent this me over the weekend.

    http://www.iplantables.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for pointing that out, KIP America, but that (an iPlanTable) is not the type of device I'm interested in finding. But, thanks anyway. I previously posted two or three articles on the blog about iPlanTables. What I'm interested in finding (if it exists) is a large-format display screen device that's based on e-reader technology (like Amazon's Kindle, only much larger in screen size.) An iPlanTable is pretty much the same thing as a regular computer flat-panel display screen, which works off of a computer/controller (at least that's my understanding.) It does more than what an e-reader display device would do.

    ReplyDelete