When NEC and Fujitsu developed their handheld electronic book players, they decided not to use CD-ROMs. All that storage would be wasted on the trashy novels, self-help guides, and comic books that straphangers on Japan's overcrowded trains like to read. Instead, both players will use writable media. NEC's Digital Book Player has floppies, while Fujitsu's View Art uses memory cards.
Fujitsu is still dithering over whether to turn its prototype into a commercial product, but NEC's device went on sale in Japan in early November, with a list price of Yen29,800 (around US$300). NEC says that it plans to ship one million units over the next three years, and has announced an initial 30-odd titles, with over 100 scheduled to be avail-able by the end of the year.
Which medium suits you better - floppies or memory cards - depends on how much you're willing to pay for low weight. Floppy disks cost next to nothing, but are heavy and power-hungry. Memory cards are expensive - 512 Kbytes worth will set you back about US$200 at current prices - but light and energy-efficient. And, as Fujitsu points out, you just need one card for your reader: They envisage downloading (probably via NiftyServe, a local, Fujitsu-sponsored version of CompuServe) books onto cards.
The other difference between the two players is the interface. Fujitsu's player features just two buttons plus an on/off switch. You only need one thumb to operate it. NEC's player forces you to contend with ten twiddly buttons.
Of course, electronic book readers, being made largely from off-the-shelf components and containing little in the way of proprietary technology, will be kid's stuff to clone. The real money is going to be in the books - just ask the subway commuters who tear through a different 300-page manga (Japanese comic book) every day on their way home from work. NEC Corp: +81 3 3798 6511; Fujitsu Ltd: +81 3 3215 5236.
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