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June 28, 2012
Lumia

Future Tech: the Future of Reading



In today’s Future Tech on Nokia Connects, let’s take a look at what our reading habits will be like in the future – from what we read, to how we’ll read it.


via ITProPortal

I’m willing to bet a substantial chunk of change that more people today consume their news on a mobile device than they did five years ago. A fairly safe bet, I’d say. Of course, I know the answer – mobile news consumption in Europe grew 74% last year – but this is a clear indication of where our reading habits are headed. Who buys a physical newspaper nowadays? More and more of us are getting our news online, whether it be on our phones during the commute, desktop widgets at work, or settled down with a tablet in the evening.

It’s the same for books – the proliferation of eBook readers may be edging out traditional publishers. Of course, with the arrival of Nokia Reading, the number of people ditching the paperback in favour of reading electronically is set to rise and rise. Nokia Reading on your phone has many advantages: you don’t have to lug a heavy book around, those with less than perfect eyesight can adjust the size of the text (in a language of your choice), if you get bored of a book, you can skip to another right away…the list goes on. I’ll let Jay Montano explain further:


via MyNokiaBlog

So what comes next? Is this the final stage of our reading evolution? Indeed, some people think that reading in itself is doomed. I wouldn’t go that far – there will always be a percentage of the population who crave knowledge and entertainment that is not provided by a movie or video game; who want to surround themselves with books (possibly in a book fort). And there will always be people who want to write. But will we all be consuming our books via Nokia Reading (or other eBook readers)? Or will there be a new technology to help us consume our novels and autobiographies?

Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment sharing your ideas, or drop me a line on Twitter.