Comic books go digital

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By Kuriko Miyake

(IDG) -- Paper comic books may soon be a thing of the past if an electronic book reader that was on display here at the Tokyo International Book Fair lives up to its billing.

The e-book prototype, developed by Toshiba, NTT Data, and E-Book Initiative Japan, consists of two LCD panels that are vertically attached to each other to make the device look like a hardcover book.

The screens in the prototype are 7.7-inch thin-film transistor LCDs with a resolution of 150 pixels per inch and were developed by Toshiba specifically for use in e-books. The screens support Microsoft's ClearType text resolution enhancement technology, and at this resolution, Toshiba says the screens approach the quality of text printed on paper.

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The prototype still needs a lot of development, according to Akira Miura, specialist at Toshiba's Large Size LCD Division. Within two years, it plans to bring the e-book's weight down to approximately three-quarters of a pound, and for its battery to last at least six hours. "We are aware that it will be very difficult to achieve those technologies," Miura says.

Contents will be downloaded to the e-book using either Bluetooth wireless personal-area networks or memory cards, according to Toshiba's plans.

Yuusuke Suzuki, the president and chief executive officer of co-developer EBI, an e-book content provider that mainly distributes Japanese comic books, says that the prototype model was made especially for reading comic books. It is essential for comic books, whether printed or digital, to have two pages when images' panoramic continuity is needed from one page to the next, he says, holding the prototype in his hands.

He also says that the companies worked on the quality of the LCD screen in order to improve the richness of colors and to better show the smaller text used for Japanese comic books.

As other Asian countries, such as South Korea, have a similar comic book culture and style to Japan, the device is targeted at the entire market in Asia, according to Suzuki.

The Tokyo International Book Fair and companion Electronic Book & Multimedia Fair wrapped Sunday at Tokyo Big Sight.

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Toshiba debuts LCD for e-books
(IDG.net)
Microsoft Reader to reach PC
(PCWorld.com)
The trials of a comic book hero
(The Industry Standard)
Comics king Stan Lee fights crime online
(PCWorld.com)
e-Books on the rise
(Macweek)
Top 10 free e-books
(PCWorld.com)
Microsoft, Amazon to bring 'eBooks to the masses'
(IDG.net)
E-books proving a tough sale
(PCWorld.com)

Microsoft Reader
Barnesandnoble.com Ebooks
Stephen King

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