At only 8mm thin, and weighing in at less than 400g, Ikea offers a new breakthrough in reading technology, the “bookbook.” Note the superb battery life, touch interface and key features like bookmarking, sharing and voice activated password protection.

David Crotty

David Crotty

David Crotty is a Senior Consultant at Clarke & Esposito, a boutique management consulting firm focused on strategic issues related to professional and academic publishing and information services. Previously, David was the Editorial Director, Journals Policy for Oxford University Press. He oversaw journal policy across OUP’s journals program, drove technological innovation, and served as an information officer. David acquired and managed a suite of research society-owned journals with OUP, and before that was the Executive Editor for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, where he created and edited new science books and journals, along with serving as a journal Editor-in-Chief. He has served on the Board of Directors for the STM Association, the Society for Scholarly Publishing and CHOR, Inc., as well as The AAP-PSP Executive Council. David received his PhD in Genetics from Columbia University and did developmental neuroscience research at Caltech before moving from the bench to publishing.

Discussion

9 Thoughts on "Ikea Offers the Latest Breakthrough in Reading Technology"

I was just writing a chapter on ways to remember more through diagramming, annotating, highlighting, and underlining and I thought to myself–as I tried to apply the techniques to screens as well– all of this stuff works way better on a “book book. ”

Because publishers are only interested in digital “solutions,” I keep telling myself that digital books/products must be as powerful a medium for study as the “book book,” but I can’t even convince myself. No wonder students keep opting for the “book book.”

All of which is to say, loved this video. Very clever.

I am convinced now that the ‘bookbook’ will be a solution for readers everywhere. Nice.

Mine arrived in the mail yesterday. I spilled water on it, and it still works!

I am frustrated with my bookbook! I am able to read it at this moment but there are no instructions as to how to recharge its battery. I thought there must be a place for the battery. I searched my bookbook and there is no place for a battery. Then I said: “wait a minute I’ll bet you just hook it up to the computer to charge the wafer thin battery that must be imbedded”. I searched, but alas, there is no port into which I can hook up a cord for a charger. My frustrations remain. What will I do when I can no longer access my bookbook?

Perhaps a scholarly kitchen member can advise.

Ah! I can help there. Bookbook, being an advanced product, merely has to be placed in contact with the accompanying item, CoffeeTable (of which IKEA has an extensive range), whereupon it recharges by induction in the same manner as an electric toothbrush.

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