Zooming Magnifying Glass Brings Multi-Touch to Meatspace

Eschenbach’s magnifying glass almost offers pinch-to-zoom for print. The meatspace multi-touch magnifier sits on top of a book or newspaper and lets you zoom from 2.2x to 3.4x with a simple twist, just like zooming a camera lens.

The German-made Menas Zoom works by changing the distance between two lens elements. The glass also gives the “light accumulating effect of a reading stone,” which gives a nice bright image. And because the loupe-like design keeps it a constant distance from the paper, you don’t need to focus.

I find myself relying on digital comforts more and more as I use paper less and less. I’ve caught myself trying to scroll newspaper articles, and swiping restaurant menus to turn the pages. As more of these things move from dead trees to the screen, the text-zooming advantages will be available to more partially-sighted people than ever. Until then, the Menas Zoom is a fine alternative. £87, or $138.