Researchers Flip the Page on E-Books
A commuter (L) reads on a Kindle e-reader while riding the subway in Cambridge, Massachusetts March 18, 2011. Publishers are adapting to rising sales of e-books, and the popularity of smart phones and tablets such as the iPad. The retail landscape has changed with Amazon becoming the dominant seller of books while countless book stores go the way of video rental stores. America's No. 2 book store chain, Borders, is bankrupt. Some authors have dropped their publishers entirely, self-publishing online and using social media to connect with readers. Picture taken March 18, 2011. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) 路透社

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed technology that brings the realistic feel of flipping through pages to reading on tablets and smartphones.

The Smart E-book System recognizes finger pressure, drag time, and gestures beyond the typical e-reader, allowing users to do things like mark a page with their thumb or breeze through pages like an animated flip book.

The algorithm-based conversion technology detects touch on the circumference of smartphones and tablets, connecting them with events occurring within the screen.

I hope that our technology will accelerate the wider use of e-books and contribute to Korea's endeavors to lead the development of software application technology for mobile devices, said Prof. Howon Lee.

Kindle Amazon Ipad Smartphone