Link This |
Email this |
Blog This |
Comments (6)
The Steampunk E-Book Reader
July 12, 2008
With the recently released
Kindle (which I think takes ugly to new heights), the
Sony Reader, and now the unique
Readius, e-book readers have once again been in the news. Of course this is at least the second go-round of this kind of device, if not the third or fourth, but eventually we'll probably find the right combination of functionality, display quality, and price point that connects with consumers. I'm still not convinced we've yet achieved that, but time will tell.
For myself, I recently connected up the idea of an e-book reader with a movement called
steampunk to consider what a steampunk e-book reader might be like. For full background, start by reading the
Wikipedia page, but for the purposes of this post all you need to know is that steampunk can be expressed by taking modern objects and modifying them into pseudo-Victorian, pseudo-mechanically-driven (hence the "steam") objects. The emphasis is on a particular
style even when modern technology is necessary to make the object functional (e.g., a steampunk computer).
To get the flavor of this, visit the
Steampunk Workshop, which is rife with pictures of such objects. This reminds me of the popularity of
Make magazine and the
Maker Faire from O'Reilly & Associates, but with a decided Victorian bent and more emphasis on style and less on substance. What would a steampunk e-book reader look like? I don't know, but for some reason I'm dying to find out. Maybe that's an e-book reader I would actually be willing to spend money on. Something covered in dusky-smelling leather, with prominent knobs and dials, a distinct retro look and a mystery all its own. Now there's an e-book reader worthy of desire.
Posted by Roy Tennant on July 12, 2008 | Comments (6)
