The newspapers of the future - cheap digital
screens that can be rolled up and stuffed into a back pocket - have
been just around the corner for the last three decades. But as
early as this year, the future may finally arrive. Some of the world"s
top newspapers publishers are planning to introduce a form of
electronic newspaper that will allow users to download entire editions
from the Web on to reflective digital screens said to be easier on the
eyes than light-emitting laptop or cellphone displays.
Flexible versions of these readers may be available as early as 2007. The handheld readers couldn"t come a moment too soon for the
newspaper industry, which has struggled to maintain its readership and
advertising from online rivals.Publishers Hearst Corp. in the
U.S., Pearson Plc."s Les Echos in Paris and Belgian financial paper De
Tijd are planning a large-scale trials of the readers this year.