Will this e-book reader changes the shape of publishing?

Will it transform what we understand as "the book?" Who knows. But yesterday, a Dutch company, iRex Technologies, announced a new product The iLiad.

It will be released in April, 2006. It is based on E-Ink.

This could be the technological advance for which I have been hoping.

Here's another promo shot:

 

My view is that some point there will be a device which for many (but not all) users and purposes will replace paper. I've blogged on this several times. (Use the Google search function on this page to find those posts.)

I say "but not all" because many people seem to react very negatively to the reduction in the use of paper as a medium of written communication. When this topic come us many people react in horror and say something like "Never! I love paper! I can't imagine reading on a screen!"

And in fact I agree in part. For all the time I spend on-line, I do not read anything longer than, say, 500 words on-screen. I don't like it. It's not a comfortable reading experience. So the whole point of the e-book reader (generically speaking) is that it won't be like reading a computer desktop screen. It will be an entirely new technological device with ergonomics entirely (or largely) new. If it isn't, it won't succeed.