Don’t worry if e-readers take over, those chunky old hardbacks will still serve a purpose: as a case for your Kindle.
It’s interesting how this website is starting a little craft enterprise out of this idea. They do it for other models, and even for iPhone. Not sure if they’re the first to have done it for e-readers, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it.
It’s a perversely intriguing idea. You can keep the tactile sense of a real book in your hands, the smell of it, and the ability to show off the book you might be reading on the tram (although it could be just one of the thousands you really have stored inside). But I guess it’s going to make the original book a little hard to read.
Still, all in all, a cute idea. I wonder if they’ll ever design an e-reader that actually looks like a book, with a genuine textured display screen cover showing the title of whatever you’re reading, genuine page-rustling noise when clicking the turn pages button and a smell dispenser for that genuine old book scent! Why, it’ll be the best of both worlds! …Or not?
DuncanWritingEditingPublishing 
There is a designer called Etiene Mineur, he was here at the beginning of the year as a speaker during the agIdeas conference. He created interface for mainly product and fashion websites. During his talk he introduced his latest project, interactive books. If you can believe it, technology has yet to develop enough for him to include everything he intends but so far the themes include a ‘chose your own adventure’ type book where you can have an actually fight with the pages and another where you have to be drunk to read it (there is a little breathalyzer that you have to blow on in order to activate the book).
So yes, looks like a physical e-reader is on the way!
Ha! That’s awesome. I love the idea of a book for when you’re drunk. Sounds like there could be some very cool variations on the book in the coming years then!
I’m a complete sucker for the mixing of organic and tech materials. I love this post. 🙂
Have you read The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson? Its the most amazing neoVictorian sci fi, and the story is built around an eReader. One day, I want one of them. So wonderful. 🙂
Thanks Sarah!
Haven’t read The Diamond Age, but I just Wikipedia’d it, and it sounds rather excellent. I’ve been meaning to read Stephenson’s Snow Crash for a while, so it looks like his books should go higher up on my to-read list!