August 28, 2006 More proof that successful new products don’t need software, a VC fund and a big business behind them. The ReadEzy, invented by Macquarie University philosophy student David Wild is a bookholder that holds the book from behind, while the pages are loosely gripped at the front so they can be turned or flicked with one hand. The end result is a device that allows people to read without holding the book, or read multitask - take notes, eat, drink, knit or enjoy a bath without getting the pages wet. Wild produced 5,000 “ReadEzy” bookholding devices as a trial, and they were snapped up so quickly (primarily by students and the mobility impaired) that when he sold out within a month he’s now ramping up for mass distribution and seeking international distributors for the ReadEzy which retails for AUD$30 (USD$22.70 or EUR17.80) .
“I designed the ReadEzy as a way to make life easier and prevent neck pain while studying,” said Wild.
“I was looking for a device that would hold a book at good ergonomic angle, but at the same time would leave the pages relatively free to be turned with one hand while I took notes – something that I found no book holders did.
“It was never intended to become a business. But then my friends all wanted one to help their studies, and they started telling their friends about it.
“My grandmother and her friends also wanted ReadEzys because it allowed them to knit and read simultaneously. It just grew from there.”
