eReader Project
iRex Technologies is one of three companies currently selling eReaders. 
Download a comparison of eReaders (PDF).
RJI's objectives for the eReader Research Project are to gain a better understanding of:
- The factors that may influence adoption of eReaders; and
- The design elements of digital content that may influence reading on eReaders and other mobile reading devices.
We plan to conduct focus group sessions in Columbia during February and March 2008. Participants will have an opportunity to use iLiad eReaders preloaded with content for at least one week.
The results of our research will be published on the RJI Web site and in academic and professional publications.
Ken Fleming, RJI director of research, and Roger Fidler, RJI program director for digital publishing, are the project leaders.
Mobile reading devices to be compared
iRex Technologies iLiad eReader: This is the most advanced eReader now on the market. It has an 8.1-inch (diagonal) black-and-white electronic paper display with 16 levels of gray. The device measures 6.1 inches by 8.5 inches by 0.63 inches, and weighs 13.7 ounces.
MotionComputing (MC) Tablet PC: This is a compact slate model tablet PC with an 8.4-inch (diagonal) full-color, active-matrix liquid crystal display. The device measures 6.69 inches by 8.94 inches by 0.87 inches and weighs 2.2 pounds (about 35 ounces).
NEC LitePad Tablet PC: This is a slate model tablet PC with a 10.4-inch (diagonal) full-color, active-matrix liquid crystal display. The device measures 8.8 inches by 11.7 inches by 0.6 inches and weighs 2.2 pounds (about 35 ounces).
Notebook Computer: This can be any Macintosh or Windows notebook computer with a 12- to 15-inch (diagonal) full-color, active-matrix liquid crystal display. Notebook computers typically weigh between 3 and 6 pounds.
Download a comparison of eReaders (PDF).
The NEC LitePad is a tablet PC that will be part of an RJI project comparing various eReaders and other devices.
Digital presentation formats to be compared
Digital Newsbook (PDF): This format is a version of the eMprint model optimized for reading and navigating on electronic displays. Articles are repackaged and designed on a 2-column grid by editors or designers. Digital Newsbooks have a page-based structure with no scrolling. Navigation is both sequential (page turning) and non-sequential (hyperlinking).
Automated Digital Edition for eReaders (PDF): This is the eReader format adopted by the French business newspaper Les Echos and several other newspapers for their iLiad eReader editions. Articles are automatically flowed into 1-column page templates. This format also has a page-based structure with no scrolling.
Screen Facsimile (PDF): This format provides an exact replica of a newspaper’s printed pages with the addition of hyperlinks. Articles are laid out by editors or designers on a 6-column grid for printed editions. Screen facsimile pages retain the original proportions of the printed pages, but can scale to the size of a computer display. Navigation is both sequential (page turning) and non-sequential (hyperlinking). In some versions, the text of articles and ads can be displayed in pop-up windows.
Web (HTML): This is the standard format used by newspapers for online presentation of their articles. Articles are automatically pulled from printed pages and flowed into standard 1-column web-page templates. They have a page-based structure with scrolling. All navigation is non-sequential (hyperlinking).