science

SoftBook

SoftBook is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SoftBook rather than just read about it. In short: SoftBook was one of the first commercial handheld e-readers produced for reading e-books that released in 1998 by SoftBook Press, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, US. Overview The SoftBook, designed by IDEO and Lunar Design, featured a brown leather cover which flipped back to give the device a more book-like feel, and was notable for its large 6 × 8 inch (15.2 × 20.3 cm) touchscreen display which allowed you to navi…

Key takeaways

SoftBook belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SoftBook to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SoftBook from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SoftBook was one of the first commercial handheld e-readers produced for reading e-books that released in 1998 by SoftBook Press, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, US.

Overview The SoftBook, designed by IDEO and Lunar Design, featured a brown leather cover which flipped back to give the device a more book-like feel, and was notable for its large 6 × 8 inch (15.2 × 20.3 cm) touchscreen display which allowed you to navigate the HTML-based pages as well as highlight and draw simple notes on the pages. It could store approximately 1,500 pages (expandable up to 100,000), and claimed that the rechargeable battery allowed up to 5 hours of reading time. Use of the SoftBook did not require a desktop computer or an Internet service provider; it had an RJ11 telephone jack and internal 33.6 kbit/s modem to connect with the "SoftBookstore" to download books. Publishers included HarperCollins, McGraw-Hill, Simon & Schuster, Warner Books, and others, and subscriptions to periodicals such as Newsweek, Time, and The Wall Street Journal were available (which could be downloaded automatically overnight if users kept the device plugged into a phone jack). Users could upload their own documents via SoftBook's Internet website for downloading to their SoftBook. The SoftBook was the first device to comply with the Open eBook specification, which was "based primarily on technology developed by SoftBook Press".

Specifications Technical specifications printed on the back of the product box:

Weight: 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) Display: 9.5 inch (24.1 cm) diagonal, greyscale, backlit, touch-sensitive LCD, built-in protective cover Capacity: 2 MB (1,500 pages), expandable to 64 MB with Flash miniature card (50–100,000 pages) Modem: Built-in 33.6 Kbps modem; download approximately 100 pages per minute Power: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. Up to 5 hours reading time (less than two-hour recharge). AC power adapter. Optional recharge cradle. Reading tools: Sophisticated searching, bookmarking, hyperlinking, text markup, stylus for marking and highlighting. System requirements: Analog telephone connection. AC power outlet for battery recharge. Price: $599.95 USD (original MSRP), or $299.95 plus $19.95 per month for a 24-month "content package" contract (totalling $778.75) SoftBook utilized the US 4597058 and US 4725977 patents.

SoftBook Press, Inc. SoftBook Press, Inc. was founded by James Sachs and Tom Pomeroy in 1996, and located at 1075 Curtis St., Menlo Park CA, 94025. Book conversion was managed by The Lowe-Martin Group of Ottawa ON. In 2000, SoftBook Press was acquired by Gemstar-TV Guide International, who also acquired its competitor, NuvoMedia (creator of the Rocket eBook), and merged them into the Gemstar eBook Group.

References

External links "SoftBook.com". Archived from the original on 1999-10-12. SoftBook at MobileRead Wiki

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SoftBook

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SoftBook claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SoftBook before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SoftBook ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SoftBook

In research: SoftBook appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SoftBook in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SoftBook is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dedicated ebook devices, Electronic paper technology, Electronic publishing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SoftBook outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SoftBook in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SoftBook means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SoftBook out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SoftBook in simple terms?

SoftBook was one of the first commercial handheld e-readers produced for reading e-books that released in 1998 by SoftBook Press, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, US. Overview The SoftBook, designed by IDEO and Lunar Design, featured a brown leather cover which flipped back to give the device a more…

Why does SoftBook matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SoftBook?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SoftBook.