Esquire's 75th Anniversary Issue
New Digital Technology is Soon to Change How We Read Books
Sep 10, 2008
The release was touted by Esquire’s editor David Granger as a way to prove that print isn’t dead. “I really do think the print is the most exciting and rewarding medium there is,” said Granger in an article released on Monday by the Associated Press.
The 21st Century Begins Now
Esquire has decided to prove that print is not dead by featuring a 10-inch square of electronic ink which flashes the phrase “The 21st Century Begins Now” on the front cover and a two page ad for Ford on the inside cover featuring a similar banner with flashing lights behind a car simulating the car driving down the street at night.
The installation of the two screens makes the cover a bit thicker than normal but it does not add enough weight to make it cumbersome or to discourage readers from buying it. The screen also does not produce any glare when it is turned at an angle s the reader can see all the details at all times unlike an LED screen or even a traditional glossy magazine cover.
The issue features a list of the “75 Most Influential People of the Century” which includes Scarlett Johansson and Danger Mouse one half of the Gnarls Barkley duo. While the magazine only costs consumers $2 more than the usual issues editor David Granger revealed on the Today Show Monday that the magazine had to partner with Ford to off-set the cost of production.
E-Ink: Electronic Paper from Plastic Logic
On September 9 Plastic Logic, a UK electronic paper technology company, revealed its version of an electronic newspaper which is more than half the size of Amazon’s Kindle reader and will be updated via a wireless link and can be carried anywhere while displaying hundreds of pages of books, newspapers and other print materials.
One benefit of E-Ink is the reduction of eye-strain that reading on a computer screen can cause making it virtually impossible to read significant amounts on a computer. This is one of the benefits Amazon has already been promoting in its advertisement of Kindle.
Amazon’s Kindle Reader
The Kindle reader is an electronic ink reading device which allows its users to download content from Amazon’s Kindle marketplace as well as blogs and newspapers that have made their publications available for this technology.
Kindle is lighter than a traditional paperback book and is as thick as a pencil a comparison which you can see on the advertisement page on Amazon.com.
There is also a selection of interviews by authors who have publications available on Kindle and a feature which allows potential Kindle users to connect with others who already own one in their areas so they can try it out.
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