There continues to be much debate about what the future of print is in a world of digital. Is there still a place for newspapers, magazines and books as physical paper products when we can consumer them on a smartphone, tablet or traditonal computer?
I think there is. But the realtionship will be different. This post is not an attempt to answer the question. It is merely an opportunity to share something interesting about digital and print. About media consumption and editing. About the possibility of the Internet of Things.
The design studio BERG has created The Little Printer, a product that brings together the digital and physical. The Little Printer serves as a miniture publisher. It enables you to print live social media streams, updates, text messages, images. Using the Berg Cloud technology you can deliver personal messages to other owners of the Little Printer and curate news stories from publications like The Guardian. They are all printed on paper the same size as a till reciept.
I think it is rather beautiful, charming, initimate, simple and fun.
Here is a rather nice clip showing what its all about:
So what does it all mean?
Status updates and Tweets are often like snowflakes falling on warmer ground - they exist for a brief period and then melt away. The Little Printer allows you to print out content that might mean something. This could become significant in a world overwhlemed by digital, where it becomes important to have a physical a memento. Something beautiful and fun that you can pin to the wall. Something that grounds you to the physical in a digital world.
This can be extended to the increasing trend of self-editing, control and curating content. This can be seen with apps like Pinterest.
The other interesting thing is the associated technology.The Berg Cloud technology enables you to use an app to connect devices to the Little Printer. This is core to the 'Internet of Things'. An example of the potential to connect devices to everyday household objects so that they can be more useful in our lives.
The Little Printer may not be the answer debate about the relationship between print and digital. But I think it serves as a beautiful and fun example of the potential to link physical and digital communication in a tactile and personal way.
You can get your hands on one later in the year. You can find out more here: http://bergcloud.com/littleprinter/