New technologies such as the iPad, Amazon’s Kindle (and the numerous other applications available for mobile phones and PDA’s the world over) for portable book readers are appearing on an increasingly frequent basis adding weight to the argument that the paper format is in decline.

That said it’s good to see that people are still finding ways to apply technology to the more traditional method of reading books. Nothing beats the satisfaction of thumbing through a behemoth of a book, page by page, chapter by chapter and looking back to see that the remnant of the book is thinner than the portion read, or on completion filing it away alongside other books as a visual representation of your literary journey.

It’s the tangible elements of reading that the digital format is unable to replicate; the tactile nature of paper, the smell of paper even malleability of the book/magazine all add to the experience that is reading. Conversely there is no denying the fact that the digital has its own advantages, such as portable size, instant text resizing and backlighting to name but a few.

Lack of a portable light source has been the bane of readers throughout generations and designer Valentina Trimani has designed this concept bookmark to counter the issue of reading in the dark and help books gain some ground on the increasingly popular digital methods. The Lightleaf is rechargeable, as thin as a page in a book and runs wirelessly, and even has a brightness control to avoid disturbing others nearby. While there is no doubt digital reading is on the rise, you’ll be pleased to know gentlemen, that traditional methods are not bowing out without a fight.

Lightleafs viz Buzzbeast

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