New product idea: Adio-visual newspapers

[arya.ray...@sbcglobal.net]

As the redership of newspapers is declining everywhere due to
competitive
pressure from the internet-based news delivery, it is time to rethink
the
newspapers, and revitalize the relationship. One of the ways
newspapers
can be revitalized is to add an audio-visual component to them. It can
be
in the form of, or comparable to the links that you click on web-
based stories.
In the case of newspapers you may want to have a little watch like
device
that will scan a linkable line or a word, possibly written in blue
ink, and
the corresponding audio-video will be played on the watch's display!

[arya.ray...@sbcglobal.net]

Obviously, the idea has a recession-busting quality. It can not only
take the newspapers out of
the slump, but also the semiconductor sector. For example, every
newspaper is delivered with a
little chip attached to it, and you detach it and put it in the watch-
like reading device that can
scan the links. I would like to call the new reading device an info-
watch.
Sometime back, I had wanted to discuss the idea with Apple here at
Cupertino, but did not get a call
to discuss - I was disappointed. I am discussing it here to let
developers around the globe to benefit
from the idea. Because, the idea would have interesting ramifications
beyond newspapers. If the
delivery of the information is made over cellular signals, you can
simply use the info-watch to
scan written information (with some kind of a barcode) out of
anywhere. If the poor kids in many
countries are given a low cost info-watch, they will not have to go
through the same amount of
difficulty as the Slumdog Millionaire to gather useful information.
Also, more and more, paper books
will be written with sprinklings of info-watchable information. Even
parts of advertising will reorganize
around the info-watch. I like this idea because it involves
transforming one form of information
into another, Written to audio-video - injecting fresh interest and
variation in the process of
reading written information. Sort of like transforming one form of
energy into another.

[arya.ray...@sbcglobal.net]

The idea of the info-watch is completely different from obtaining
paper books
and newspapers in the electronic form and make them readable through a
flat slate-like device such as Amazon's Kindle. Because, the Kindle
concept
represents a trend that takes readers away from the paper format.
Whereas
the info-watch concept tends to retain the paper format, while making
the reading
simply much more interesting and informative. Although some Kindle
enthusiasts
are predicting the complete extinction of the paper format over time,
I do not
agree with them (also see Asimov's Change). Paper has its own feel and
personality
that no slate-like device can match. Paper is very much more personal
and private,
compared to any computer like flat panel. It is vulnerable, it can get
wet, and then dry
up - simply an object of unmatched charm. Beautiful postage stamps are
made of
paper - for example, in an advanced form of the info-watch you should
be able to
scan the stamps on a stamp-collector's book and get the little story
about the
creation of the stamp on the watch's display. Basically, the info-
watch will take
you beyond what you can read or see on paper.

[arya.ray...@sbcglobal.net]

I envisage the info-watch to be a stand-alone device, meant only for
the purpose
of scanning info-watchable links from the paper format. And, not
integrated as
another application on a smartphone. Already, the smartphones are
overloaded
with too many little applications which are sometimes confusing to the
ordinary
users. Also, there is this aspect of over-centralization which is not
a very pleasing
thing - paving the way for too much racial profiling and such. "We
want to know
where you go ..." - sometimes you want to turn around and say, no, you
don't want
to know, it's none of your f**king business! Essentially, a statement
of individual
freedom of the modern user of electronic gadgets. In that sense, there
could be a
movement away from the centralization of too many functions.

At the same time, the info-watch will embrace many sectors of the
businesses.
The newspapers will need to create departments for preparing the info-
watchable
contents, the chip makers will need to create the chips (very low cost
and recyclable)
that will hold those contents, the gadget manufacturers will have to
develop the
info-watch itself, devices enabled by cellular signals will have to
engage the cellular
communication prividers to pass the queries and get the answers from
info-watchable
contents servers, advertisers will have a separate interesting avenue
and so on.
In fact, if you look at it, it is not so much of a technological
challenge, most of the
components exist in some form, it's the imagination that a device can
be built to
enhance how we read the paper format.