Electronic readers have advantages, but they've become too popular. Brick and mortar bookstores are closing. The stores create a warm atmosphere for customers to meet authors and develop a sense of community outside of the internet social media environment. We need to put this into perspective before making a complete change in the way we read.

I find Couplan as a very interesting concept with a lot of potential for businesses. Keeping your companies' employees updated with books and articles that could really bring something to their work and professional development could bring a new way of training and enrichment. Sharing ideas about them and even sharing with other organizations could bring new opportunities for networking, future alliances and strategic partnerships.

I think this is the future of eBooks where the "e" would stand for "Enhanced". As of now the book publishers are quickly missing their window of opportunity.

http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Very nice to see these emerging models! What IDEO does so well is ask "When and why do people read?" vs. "What can technology do to enable a better reading experience?" When the first question drives the second, then book solutions will be highly relevant to people's lives. So "People read when they are in a Doctor's waiting room" might yield a very different solution than "2nd grade Teachers read to their pupils in class." One might offer narratives punctuated by a set of time-consuming escapist puzzles, while the other might present two faces: one picture and one word-facing that supports valuable Q & A . In this case, it appears they were looking at broader appeal technology solutions.

Having worked through the IDEO prototype process, these three samples are likely the result of one week's work, thus getting reaction and revision cycles sooner and better. Clearly, academic and college text uses rise to the top of any of the platforms. As a text publisher, I appreciate your sharing what IDEO's up to!

Yawn.

I agree with RJ.

These seem more like distractions from the personal contemplation of good writing.

Perhaps these ideas are better used in a research & academic context.

First impression - a little like being in a shopping mall - overwhelming amount of visual input to the point of creating a tiring, hypnotic effect that, frankly, just drives me away. Regarding "Alice," in particular - I would classify this as a game rather than a "reading experience." When did reading become a "reading experience." All of these concepts are interesting and I'm sure will be popular but, to me, tiring and not in anyway akin to the stimulation and relaxation one can get from settling down with a book.

For Deaf; Wireless Device Entry to Hearing World
Life has profoundly changed for millions of deaf people during the last decade, thanks to technology that is now commonplace: texting. http://www.newslook.com/videos/251441-for-deaf-wireless-device-entry-to-hearing-world?autoplay=true