12/14/98 MAKING E-BOOKS EASIER ON THE EYES

MAKING E-BOOKS EASIER ON THE EYES

BROWN UNIVERSITY'S ANDRIES VAN DAM coined the term electronic book more than 20 years ago, but reality has been slow to catch up with his imagination. E-books--portable computers designed to display pages onscreen--have so far proved too expensive, too fragile, and too hard to read. Now, a new technology has come along that may knock down the readability hurdle for E-books and other small devices. Invented by Microsoft Corp., ClearType is scheduled to appear in the company's operating systems sometime next year.
ClearType smooths out the rough edges on the pixels that make up images on flat-panel displays, such as those used in notebook computers and handheld devices. Microsoft won't explain the technology in detail because it hasn't yet received a patent. But Dick Brass, vice-president for technology development, says the company has improved resolution by up to 300%--making it possible to deliver type that is quite legible and easy on the eyes in devices costing as little at $200. ''Fermi split the atom; we split the pixel,'' he quips.
ClearType may not rival the importance of atomic energy, but in the world of E-publishing it's a breakthrough, according to Brown's van Dam. ''This expedites the birth of the E-book as a mass-market product,'' he says.
By Steve Hamm
EDITED BY IRA SAGER