I heard Todd mention in a podcast last week that books may never be fully replaced by a device. On another podcast I also heard the same thoughts from a guy who is not a geek. I have the same feeling but I know better than to say it will never happen. Throughout time people have seen things invented or events take place that their minds could not comprehend. When I first heard of the “information super highway” (the internet) I thought it was the dumbest idea ever. I did not see the point in having endless information available to everyone. I was young then & understood people wanted to get knowledge but I did not see the full scope of the possibilities. Cavemen were probably scared to death of even getting close to a dangerous ocean but later men were able to sail across them. The ability to comprehend how man could build a machine to fly inside was out of reach for most people until the Wright Brothers came along. It is hard for us to envision what a device that will replace books will look like because that is not our focus. We work on our own businesses or jobs. But there are those people out there who are in search of a profit who are focused on this very creation. So I believe the market will provide a book alternative just as MP3 players have replaced CD’s for the most part.
From most accounts the Kindle is a good alternative but still lacks that “something” to make it a paper book replacement. I have a feeling that the electronic device may not have a back light. I see the device being “dark” so you will need an alternative light source to read it. Also instead of scrolling down I imagine a program that gives the illusion of page turning. That is just my ideas & I have only spent a couple hours thinking about it in my life. People who are doing it daily will come up with a great device in the future.