Ebooks are cool, but a big problem with them is that if you don't have one of those hand held devices, one has to use the pc If you don't have a laptop, you can't really read yourself to sleep. Why not have a special black and white projector for e-books? You set it up to shine on your roof and with its special voice recognition system, you can just tell it to go to sleep when you have finished. The best news is that you need not turn pages or shout 'scroll down ten' as it is continuously scrolling, unless told otherwise. You can adjust writing size too.-- danman, Jul 09 2009 Pico Projector http://www.youtube....watch?v=7UfarRM0BoM [MisterQED, Jul 10 2009] Good simple ebook content that works on cellphone http://www.online-literature.com/eBooks are actually nothing more than browsers ... [kindachewy, Jul 10 2009] Projector phone http://images.googl...&oq=Ebook+projector [danman, Jul 10 2009] MacRumors http://forums.macru...thread.php?t=740381The next iPhone might have a projector [hippo, Jul 10 2009] this one doen't need additional light, and is very low power http://www.scienced...06/090624093649.htm [4whom, Jul 12 2009] The eBook projector, making reading a more social exercise since 2009.-- danman, Jul 09 2009 Easily bakeable with one of those LED pico projectors.-- MisterQED, Jul 10 2009 Have to side with [21 Quest] on this one: Why does one hyper- specialized hightech product (b/w ceiling beamer for nighttime reading) supercede the specialized one (b/w portable device for static displays)?-- loonquawl, Jul 10 2009 I think cellphones are an undervalued solution for the e-book. I like the pico-projector idea, but I don't think it's needed.
[danman] makes the point that PC-based reading is not fun/comfortable/portable/ etc
Cellphones, accessing e-book content via simple inbuilt web browsers, can do the job very well. In particular, basic books (text only) represent very light download requirements, and can be displayed well enough on relatively small screens.
I happen to have quite a good web browser and screen capability on my phone and find it very suitable for general textual reading. The nice thing is that a cellphone is handheld, and can be read comfortably when sitting back in a chair, when on transport, when lying in bed, etc.
You just need an optimised scrolling mechanism, and to make sure that your battery settings don't turn the screen off every few seconds-- kindachewy, Jul 10 2009 Graet idea Kindachewy, I really like it. Also it would be possible to use a projector phone...
21, the projector works with a flash disk, it is not connected to pc-- although bluetooth is available for file sharing.
Loonquail, sure it wouldn't be to difficult to create this using the tech we already have at hand-- but only if you are computer literate. Many elderly people are beginning to catch onto the eBook idea and it is opening up a whole new market for the manufacturers. I am sure that many would be more than happy to buy a eBook projector, which comes with a flash disk and easy to follow instructions.
Personally, I would love a small and compact projector for my roof that sits on my desk or on the door stopper.-- danman, Jul 10 2009 This would make eBooks quite cool - you could lie in bed in the dark reading a book projected on the bedroom ceiling. Note that the next iPhone might be able to do this (see link).-- hippo, Jul 10 2009 Best selling projected e-book = kama sutra-- kindachewy, Jul 10 2009 [kinda] That would be available as an instructional manual you'd actually project on to your partner ("Now put your hand here -->").-- hippo, Jul 10 2009 During the day, writing colour changes from white to black and you can run equations on your office ceiling.-- danman, Jul 10 2009 //During the day, writing colour changes from white to black and you can run equations on your office ceiling.//
by projecting shadow?-- loonquawl, Jul 10 2009 A dark colour.-- danman, Jul 10 2009 Yes 21, maybe so, but that is not what we are proposing here. What we are doing is creating a low cost specialised projector. There is no doubt that you could put this together with enough money and knowledge, but I am sure many people would like to have this no mess - no fuss option available.-- danman, Jul 10 2009 Have just seen the pico projector. Somewhere in here is an anno of mine from many a twelvemoon past musing that one day they would be able to put a projector into a phone and then the web would truly be mobile. Here it comes!-- wagster, Jul 10 2009 Wagster, take a look at Pattie Maes's sixth sense on ted.com (or youtube).-- danman, Jul 10 2009 Could be fun to do this, although I think a projector that worked as a PC display would be much better than a dedicated e-book reader. You could read by holding the mouse in your hand and using the scrollwheel - it's not awkward at all. But you could also watch movies, read your email, surf the net etc.
I don't think the elderly would benefit much from a dedicated reader. They still have to be computer literate enough to get the ebooks and reading text on a PC is a very basic operation.-- Bad Jim, Jul 10 2009 Yes 21, it would only be for eBooks because it would make it simpler and cheaper. If it wouldn't then no. Can you imagine an elderly person actually going out, buying a projector, downloading an eBook, uploading it to a flash drive and then trying to work out how to view the file?
Bad Jim, many libraries now upload eBooks to peoples flash disks for the price of the eBook book + a small charge. All they would have to do is plug it in and hit play.-- danman, Jul 10 2009 What about ... a blank 'book' to project the e-book onto?? Essentially a small folding screen that is optimised to provide a good display surface wherever you need it
Your projector could be like one of those weird little clip on reading lights, and project onto the book page. Or you could wear it like a head torch.-- kindachewy, Jul 10 2009 Wow, awesome idea kindachewy! Gives it more uses.
I know that I may possibly be infringing on sixth sense here, but wouldn't that be awesome for browsing with voice recognition?-- danman, Jul 10 2009 heh, I just read this as eBonk Projector-- FlyingToaster, Jul 11 2009 With the Kama Sutra, this is possible.-- Bad Jim, Jul 11 2009 But inadvisable.
(Void where prohibited).-- 8th of 7, Jul 11 2009 //would be more impressive if it implemented books as a 'have read' state//I'm not sure that would even work given the (assumed granted) necessity of having the brain doing its own sorting and filing of information.-- FlyingToaster, Jul 12 2009 random, halfbakery