A to Z Listings
Company Name:
Libresco Ltd
Experienced in working in the nuclear sector: No
Summary of Company business, capabilities and products:
Libresco Ltd. was set up in April 2006 to promote the iLiad reader and encourage the adoption of e-ink technology to reduce the use of paper. The unique characteristic of this device is that it really does look just like paper, it is as engaging to read as a book and it can be written upon. The iLiad is light, portable and has a long battery life. Printing is no longer necessary to attain an intimate connection with the text and, as note taking is also possible, we have a device that could significantly reduce our individual and corporate dependence on paper.
There is much we can do, individually and collectively to reduce our impact on the environment. We know that turning electrical things down or off can make huge savings. Changing the way we travel could also have a large impact. One area that is often overlooked is the cost of printing information that could be displayed in a more environmentally friendly manner. We believe that it will be no one thing that makes the difference. It will be thousands of small savings. We believe that the iLiad would reduce the carbon footprint of many organisations and could be the catalyst for a change in people’s environmental mindset.
People tend to print information from their computers a number of reasons. Primarily it is to take a copy away with them, and secondarily it is to read in comfort and to make notes on the paper. One factor in the desire to read from a printed page is that it offers a more engaging quality of reading experience than a computer screen. There is a greater degree of mental engagement with the printed word and the paper copy offers the opportunity to make notes. Up until very recently there has not been a device that fulfilled the requirements of reading quality, portability, and interactivity. It has been a long time coming but the iLiad fulfils these requirements. This means that the digital revolution is set to encompass the printed word.
The reader is approximately A5 in size and weighs 420 grams, which is slightly less than a pound. The free internal memory is 128 Mb and is expandable up to 25 Gb by using CF, USB and SD flash memory cards. As a guide a paperback book is approximately 1Mb and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is 3 Mb. The Electrophoretic screen is unlike a computer screen; it is not backlit and does not flicker. It has truly outstanding reading characteristics. The clear stable display makes reading in bright sunlight as enjoyable as reading a printed page. More importantly it is exceptionally thin, light and uses minute amounts of power. Data transfer to the e-reader can be by PC link, Flash Disc or WiFi. Data can be annotated by touch screen pen input and the notes can be uploaded to a PC. Optical Character Recognition software is available as an optional extra.
One great advantage, for people who suffer from impaired vision, is that the font size can be increased. There are other eReading devices on the market but they are approximately half the size of the iLiad, and they are not screen writable.
There is much information in our working lives that is regularly updated and reprinted; Health and Safety Manuals, Operating Procedures, General Directives and Maintenance Instructions. These are common to many industries. There has been a great deal of interest from a number of sectors, including the Academic, Legal, Financial Services, and the Construction industries. A few Government Ministries are assessing the iLiad. A number of County Councils and Primary Care Trusts are reviewing the device to reduce the amount of paper sent to Councillors and Board Members. A couple of Libraries have bought iLiads to consider how it could be used within the lending environment. Many University Professors have bought the iLiad because the reading quality is so good and they enjoy the ability to carry the equivalent of many tonnes of printed paper. We believe that the iLiad could be a very useful device for Government and Industry as well as the private individual.
If an iLiad is used to display a report rather than printing it on paper the reduction in CO2 emissions is 99.9%, and that does not take into account the power or environmental impact of shredding, recycling or disposing of the paper. We see applications beyond reading books, such as meeting minutes, board papers, instruction manuals, operating procedures, and checklists could all be distributed to iLiad readers. Any printed matter can be distributed securely and efficiently via the internet or via a wireless network. Each device has its own unique address and information can be sent to a single device or group of devices.
There are thousands of out of copyright titles available free from Project Gutenberg. There are tens of thousands of contemporary literature titles available digitally, and many reference works are also available. Most Publishers in the UK are digitising their catalogues, RSS newsfeeds are available now. A French financial newspaper and a Dutch newspaper are available on the iLiad by subscription. A subscriber will be able to receive their daily news anywhere that has WiFi connectivity with minimal environmental impact from distribution.
This is the next thing now. It is a lean, green, reading machine.
Number of employees: 1-10
Contact details:
Name: Peter Blanchard
Job Title: Managing Director
Address: 36 - 38 Well Street,
Ruthin,
Denbighshire LL15 2PL
Telephone: 01824 702901
Secondary Telephone: 07768 780870
Website: Libresco.com
