US magazine Esquire's special 75 th edition of e-magazine might not revolutionize the print media as much as it was hoped for. Using the same e ink technology for the cover and an advertisement that Amazon used for its Kindle e-book, the magazine includes a panel flashing the message 'The 21st Century Begins Now' on the cover of its October issue.
The cover has been designed to reveal/conceal text in reversible backgrounds of black, white and grey along with illustrations that can blink on and off, thanks to a technology of micro-capsules of ink controlled by an electronic battery, developed in China. The result however, is not impressive. The whole cover feels unusually thick; the batteries will last for 8-9 months only and cannot be re-used. Moreover, users would have to pay us $6 instead of the regular us $4 cover price for it.
Esquire editor, David Granger is, however, hopeful for further improvement and says that Esquire plans to implement a second e ink design early next year and gradually get down to publishing the entire magazine in the E Ink format in the coming years.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.