Companies say devices have screens easier on the eyes and that are reader-friendly. Straight from the pages of science fiction, electronic books will land in the public's eye this fall with promises of searchable text and the ability to hold the equivalent of 10, if not 100s of volumes, in a portable device weighing only a few pounds. Books that have been taken out of print could soon be available electronically. Readers frustrated by the minuscule type on the pages will be able to increase the size to their comfort level. But many book-lovers don't like the awkwardness of reading off a screen, and the number of books has been limited as publishing houses fret over the ease of copying electronic text.
Technology apparently has found an answer, or so three electronic book companies believe.
This fall, NuvoMedia Inc., based in Palo Alto, Calif., will launch the Rocket eBook, a small 20-ounce device that is the size and shape of a paperback, complete with a stylus for highlighting and annotating text. Also this fall, Softbook Press, of Menlo Park, Calif., will bring out a 3-pound device that will hold up to 100,000 pages of text. Although portable, these readers weigh the same as many of today's laptop computers. Company officials emphasize they aren't trying to replace the book, but want to give people an additional reading option. There's nothing wrong with it.