When electronic newspapers were available command line-style [VIDEO]

Imagine if you were sitting down to your morning coffee, turning on your home computer to read the day’s newspapers

If you are reading this then it is easy to assume that you are a frequent reader of news either national, international, business, technology, sports or showbiz on the internet. You are part of the exciting times that many a few years back (at least two decades ago) never imagined would come, not that soon anyway. A sub $50 smartphone is all you need to get the day’s paper in full without having to view it teletext style as they did way back in 1981. For those with tablets, that is the main usage of those devices after forms of entertainment like watching movies and TV shows. That Kindle you take for granted would’ve made for a best selling Times magazine cover back then.

Here’s how the world thought about the impending growth and explosion of media consumption with the birth of the internet:

Engineers predict the day will come when we’ll get all of our newspaper and magazines by computer. But that’s a few years off.

Locally, apart from subscribing to news sites to read the latest, one can simply sign up for e-papers that local media houses are providing. There are even sweet offers as can be seen from the current promotion being run by Safaricom and the Nation Media Group for those who tablets from Safaricom shops. The world over the massive sells of tablets like the Apple iPad, the Amazon Kindle and the Google Nexus 7 have been driven by the desire to consume more and more digital content. Whichever way you look at it, digital newspapers remain a central part of that experience alongside popular flicks. Have you wondered why some media houses are even resorting to just digital editions alone? We’ve come from far. Rewatch that video just to appreciate that fact.

Video: EarthWeek