Detroit Testing an Electronic Newspaper Reader

From Gannett Blog:

CEO Craig Dubow mentioned the Plastic Logic electronic display during Corporate's presentation Wednesday to Wall Street media stock analysts. Readers will use the Kindle-like device to access electronic editions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, as they drop four traditional print editions in a step closer to web-only delivery.

Gannett Detroit CEO Dave Hunke has said the Detroit Media Partnership got 100 Plastic Logic displays for distribution as part of an evaluation. "The readers, which boast a display area of 8 inches by 11 inches, aren’t slated for commercial distribution until 2010," says the Newspapers and Technology trade site.

Detroit is working with Plastic Logic to develop a lease plan that would allow subscribers to rent the readers, Hunke says. The Detroit joint operating agreement partnership will use the next several months to work out prices, availability and other issues, he said. Sphere: Related Content

New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper

Plastic Logic/Sony/Kevin P. Casey for The New York Times

The Plastic Logic reader, left, has a screen the size of a sheet of paper for a copy machine. Center, Sony’s eReader; right, Amazon.com’s Kindle. The Plastic Logic device, which is yet to be named, can be updated wirelessly and store hundreds of pages of documents.

The electronic newspaper, a large portable screen that is constantly updated with the latest news, has been a prop in science fiction for ages. It also figures in the dreams of newspaper publishers struggling with rising production and delivery costs, lower circulation and decreased ad revenue from their paper product.

While the dream device remains on the drawing board, Plastic Logic will introduce publicly on Monday its version of an electronic newspaper reader: a lightweight plastic screen that mimics the look — but not the feel — of a printed newspaper.[Click for MORE]

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