That No Paper Newspaper

It seems like it would be a peripheral issue, but I never cease to be amazed at how many actual newspaper consumers, or “intense readers”, as Joel Kramer is describing his target audience for MinnPost.com, lock up with the notion of reading their news off a two-pound, desk-bound computer. They all want to flop somewhere other than their desk, whether at home or the office.

This all-important crowd has an almost genetic affinity for the ergonomics and portability of newspapers — even after you remind them of the staggering carbon footprint of leveling forests and trucking thousands of tons of newsprint from paper mill to printing plant to their front stoop.

The Washington Post’s tech guy, Rob Pegoraro, has a thread going discussing the Sony Reader-like devices that seem like the inevitable replacement for paper.

There are all sorts of incipient technologies burbling out there, all requiring testing for real world reliability. But I too am curious what you might demand/expect from a wireless, portable device that replaces a print newspaper. How big would it have to be? What, if anything, would you be willing to pay? (The assumption is that news”papers” will have to heavily underwite the cost of whatever device they offer to encourage the transition from print to electronics.)

Personally, I think a device like this, with newspaper/computer-capabilities would be best amalgamated with something like iPhone 4.0. I’m not interested in carrying another piece of hardware everywhere I go, but would be delighted to have my subscription to the NY Times or Wall St. Journal … or The Rake … available 24/7 via my phone.