14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday I told you about Nokia’s top secret tablet which was built back in 2001. But maybe you’re curious to see what an eReader looked like back in the day too.
To do that, we’ll have to take you back even further, to 1989 to be more precise, even if Sony is credited as being the first company to have ever launched an eBook reader on the market, the Sony Data Discman, in 1990.
But as it turns out, an eReader prototype existed a year earlier. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the video below, which details a dual-screen eReader from 1989.
The device never really made it to retail and it probably wasn't even a viable product, but it’s still something interesting to behold.
The eReading device used 2 monochrome LCD displays and drew life from 6 AA batteries. Compared to today’s Kindle devices, this one wouldn't have certainly fitted in your pocket, as it weighted a bulky 2.7kgs / 5.9 pounds (still comparable to some gaming laptops today).
The device used Sony’s 2” floppy discs to store and transfer content, but there’s no info about the ebook format type it supported.
Anyway, check out the video bellow to see this piece of history, but be warned the video is narrated in text in Japanese.
