Dozens of major newspapers are experimenting with electronic reading devices

The Swedish mobile technology ­engineer Stig Nordqvist has a vision. He sees millions of people accessing up-to-the-­minute, broadsheet-quality news on small handheld devices that can stay switched on longer than most people can stay awake. Think iPod—plus ­connectivity—for newshounds.

When? A lot sooner than you might expect. Several newspapers in Europe and Asia are already producing dedicated e‑reader editions, and others are following suit. At the forefront are a couple of dozen publications part way through a three-year electronic news initiative, organized by IFRA, a publishing trade association based in Darmstadt, Germany, with more than 3000 members worldwide. IFRA launched its e-News project in March to help members evaluate business and editorial opportunities opened by a new generation of handheld electronic reading devices [see photo, “New World of News”]. Participants include The New York Times and its International Herald Tribune subsidiary in Paris, Spain’s El País, Britain’s Telegraph Group, and Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun.

Source: IEEE Spectrum

See Also: Companies like PressDisplay allow subscribers to read, download, print on demand, full text, full image editions (exact replicas) of newspapers on the same day they are published. They even offer a mobile version and audio services. More on PressDisplay’s parent company site, NewspapersDirect. PressDisplay offers 350 papers from 65 countries. NewspaperDirect provides 470 papers from 70 countries.

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