BedBooks
I stumbled upon BedBooks earlier today and got a chuckle. Take a look at the picture of the product in use on their homepage. On the surface, it (kind of) makes sense: Rotate the text 90 degrees and print the book that way so that you can read it lying down...sort of...
What happens when I want to sit up in bed and read or sit in a chair and read? Looks like I need to have another book handy...one that's printed the old-fashioned way. In all fairness, you could read one of these books sitting up and it wouldn't be any more awkward than reading a regular book lying down.
Holding the book open always seemed to be the toughest part to reading while lying down. Based on the homepage picture I'm not sure that's any less challenging with a BedBooks product than a regular book.
I wonder if they also sell some sort of eating/drinking device that will provide nourishment for me while I'm lying in bed. Are we really this lazy that we can't just sit up in bed and read?
This looks like it would work sitting up; you'd just have to adjust your scanning and page-turning habits. One thing I'd really like to see is a device to hold a book where you can read while lying on your back. Probably a complex set of adjustable arms depending from the ceiling or headboard. A nice approach to designing this would be to make it as complex as possible whle appearing simple to the user--and convenient. Adjustable to different angles, and not requiring two hands to turn pages.
--Mike
Posted by: Michael A. Banks | October 31, 2007 at 09:28 PM
I wonder if they also sell some sort of eating/drinking device that will provide nourishment for me while I'm lying in bed. Are we really this lazy that we can't just sit up in bed and read?
Thank you. I love a good laugh.
Posted by: Rebecca Burgess | November 01, 2007 at 11:49 AM
I think I'll pass. It really doesn't look any easier to read a BedBook than any other kind of book. I've never had much trouble turning ninty degrees when I needed to. I don't think it would help with the problems I face with reading in bed, such as the pillow being in the way or lying on my arm so that I am unable to turn the pages
Posted by: Timothy Fish | November 01, 2007 at 12:46 PM
My biggest issue with reading in bed is falling asleep while I read on my back. The problem with that is that the book slips out of your hands and smacks you on the head. I was hoping that BedBooks offered soft-cornered bindings, but I guess I'll have to wait for BedBooks 2.0 for that.
Posted by: David | November 06, 2007 at 09:37 AM
David, in typical tech-speak, let me say that the problem you describe is a feature, not a bug. I'm sure they realize that most people do indeed fall asleep while reading on their back. That's why they included the WakeUpNow!(tm) feature in this product. I'm sure it works wonders, gets your blood flowing and allows you to read another couple of pages before you doze off, get hit in the head and start the cycle over once more...
Posted by: Joe Wikert | November 06, 2007 at 12:23 PM