The Franklin Model LM-7000 Encyclopedia, based on
the Columbia Concise Encyclopedia
| Hand-held electronic book, Franklin Electronic Publishers | 1991-... |
Description: The LM-7000 includes the full text of the Columbia Concise Encyclopedia and features a 240x80 bit-mapped GUI interface, multiple type-faces, and a rich search system that includes both keyword and categorical approaches.
Background: This project applied the compression technology developed for the Bible line to the encyclopedia text. Beyond this the project's objective was to develop the first hand-held electronic book with a screen from which one would be willing to read more than a line or two. The LM-7000 screen displays 8 lines of proportionally spaced multiple font text. A typical line contains about 50 characters and compares well with a column of traditional typeset text.
The product illustrated the way in which electronic publication can amplify a reference work. Even though the articles in the source encyclopedia are very short, the user's impression is frequently that of a much larger work. Searching for PRINCETON yields a very short description but many associated articles elsewhere. I still enjoy wandering through this book's network of short articles.
