Although many people are now using e-readers (e.g. Amazon's Kindle (pictured below), Sony's Reader) to read newspapers and novels, textbooks have yet to find a suitable electronic home. Textbooks can be downloaded to e-readers, laptops, and smartphones, however, the small screen displays can have negative effects on a person's eyes.In an attempt to ease the backlash, some companies are now developing two-screen e-readers that feature an e-paper display on one side and a liquid-crystal display on the other to render graphics and color.
In February, enTourage Systems will release a two-screen reader called the eDGe (pictured above). The device will be priced at $490. The eDGe device uses 
Google's Android operating system, so other applications like word processing can be added, according to enTourage Systems' vice president of marketing and business development.
Other companies seem to be following suit. Barnes and Noble just released its version called Nook priced at $259. Nook features a small LCD touch screen beneath the reading display to be used primarily for navigation. Spring Design will also be releasing the Alex, which will featue a 3.5-inch LCD screen for browsing the Internet and interacting with the e-reader content. Pricing for the Alex will be announced in January.
For more information, check out the article "Devices to Take Textbooks Beyond Text" by Anne Eisenberg from nytimes.com.
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