One day you might be asked a trivia question that goes like this — before the iPad, there were other products designed to help people read paperless books and newspapers. Name two of them. The answer would be Kindle (a device that was really “in” before the iPad) and Skiff (a platform for delivering content that still has potential).

For what it’s worth, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (as in Fox News, Fox Broadcasting, Wall Street Journal, New York Post) has acquired Skiff from Hearst Corp., owner of the Chronicle. “It’s unclear what News Corp. will do with Skiff — either as a platform or device — but it’s clear that the media company’s interest these days is finding ways to monetize its news content,” writes Sam Diaz of ZDNet.