The timeline for books seems simple: scrolls, books, Kindle 1, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, and Kindle 3. In between Paper Kindles and Kindle 3, there were some other attempts e-ink and digital devices. Each new ereader device reminds us how far we've come in ebook reader device technology.
The Rocket eBook: The First eReader
On October 24, 1998, The Times Daily asked Alabama readers to "imagine holding 10 books in the palm of your hand — and being able to read them in the dark." They were talking about the 22 ounce Rocket eBook, which could hold 4000 pages and was priced at $499. That price tag is the equivalent of $654 in today's prices, according to West Egg's inflation calculator.
The Rocket eBook was successful in paving the way for ereaders. The Rocket eBook reader history reflects Barnes and Noble's longtime interest in ereaders. Barnes and Noble started marketing ebooks in 1998, and Mark J. McGarry of The New York Times wrote that when Barnes and Noble stopped selling ebooks in 2003, "the celebrated Rocket eBook fell to earth." The company was sold and the Rocket was rebranded before it fizzled out.
The Godspeed E-Bible: An eReader Bible for Christians
Wired warned readers in 2002 that "someday soon a church-goer in the pew next to you opens an e-bible and clicks her way through a prayer, a hymn and then a psalm." While the Godspeed wasn't especially groundbreaking, it reflected the the use of ebook technologies in the first years of the 21st century. The role of the Godspeed is now filled by Youversion and similar iPhone apps.
Because Palm pilots and PDAs were so popular, many people used those devices as ereaders. Pocket PCs used Microsoft reader for .lit files, and a PDA eBook reader is still the best bet to use as a LIT ebook reader. PDAs lost data when the battery died, and PDA batteries died quickly. Also, smartphones made PDAs dinosaurs, and the technological succession allowed room for new devices.
Prologue to Kindle: The Sony Reader and the iRex iLiad
In 2006, Sony showed what the future of ereaders could be with the Sony PRS-500. The Sony Reader came out at the same time as the iRex iLiad. The Sony Reader was hailed as "an iPod for books," which would soon become the golden metaphor for ereaders. It has been applied to the Apple iPad, the Amazon Kindle, and the Barnes and Noble Nook, but in 2006 the Sony Reader was a trade show marvel that was generating excitement.
The iRex had Linux fans reading, and Linux Devices imagined a world where the "iLiad can replace stacks of weighty text books, and in the briefcases of doctors, lawyers, and mechanics, it could easily carry voluminous reference libraries." It was the Sony Reader that really captured people's attention.
By November 22, 2007, the Sony Reader had made some progress into turning ereaders into mainstream devices. David Pogue of the New York Times snarkily pointed out that the Sony Reader was "making literally dozens of sales." Of course, that was the same week that Amazon introduced the Kindle, and in "An E-Book Reader that Just Might Catch On," Pogue accurately saw that "Kindle isn’t a home run, it’s at least an exciting triple."
The Kindle 1 taught readers how amazing ereader features could change reading, and Kindle 2 made books seem like distant memories of a strange form of paper-based Kindle. Kindle 3 appeared in August, 2010, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sources
" Device Profile: Device Profile: iRex iLiad Mobile eBook Reader " was written by Linux Devices and published by Linux Devices eWeek on August 25, 2006.
" Get Comfy with an eBook " was written by the Associated Press. It was published in the Times Daily on October 24, 1988.
The phrase "an ipod for books" was first used in " CES 2006 - Part Three " was written by Ben Har-Even and published by Trusted Reviews.
The West Egg inflation calculator was accessed September 1, 2010.
"The End User: E-books Spur Sales" was written by Mark J. McGarry. It was published in the New York Times on August 6, 2005.
"Psalm's New E-Book Reader" was written by M.J. Rose. It was published by Wired on January 29, 2002.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
