I am still of the opinion that e-Books and e-Book Readers are going to be big! Both Apple and Microsoft are working on devices which can be used to read e-Books.
I know that some people like books, well I like reading and e-Book Readers offer the reader a lot more than a traditional book.
With an e-Book Reader I can carry more than one book, I can carry a lot more than one book. I can carry documents too. The screen is reasonably large enough too so that it is easy to read. The battery life is pretty good too, much better than a laptop or a phone.
So why would you read a book on a phone?
Well Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun makes a very good point:
Think about it this way — if you’re always carrying your phone and an unplanned short opportunity arises to read a book, you don’t want to whip out a computer, do you? In a situation like this, you’re not limited to how much space you have. You can read with just one hand. You don’t need great lighting. It’s simply a win-win, all around.
This I agree with this view, there are times when you want to read and if you have your phone on you, then being able to quickly do some reading
e-Books are not about replacing books, in the same way that online news sites don’t totally replace physical newspapers, or YouTube replaces TV.
Likewise e-Book Readers don’t replace computers; what both e-Books and e-Book Readers do is allow reading to happen at a time and place to suit the reader.
So do you like books, or do you like reading?
I like both. I love books but I’ll read anything (signs, computer screens, magazines, etc). I really think e-books and readers are a good idea but it I don’t think I’ll ever convert entirely. Besides, I always have at least two print books in my bag where-ever I go. Thanks for the post.
definitely both – a book before sleep always helps and I’m not sure an e-reader would do the same. On a train, plane, in a hotel room an e-reader would be great.
Finally, I just LOVE browsing in book shops and libraries. browsing amazon or whatever just isn’t the same, even though the suggestions such sites make are great.
as you say, it’s not a case of either/or, but both.
both, but I prefer the touch of paper – and you can’t turn a e-book page down so you don’t lose your place (sorry.. I don’t use bookmarks) Something tangible about doing that.
I love the smell of books, the joy of browsing book shops, grabbing a gem at a charity shop and looking at ancient books in the British Library – a wonderful place to go if you have an hour or so spare when visiting London.
I have generally 3 books on the go at the same time. Different genres and authors but I pick up what I want according to my mood. And a book must fit into my handbag 😉 I realise an e-book reader could but it would have to sit next to my iTouch, DS Lite and 2 phones..
But e-books really can support many readers – the advantage of skipping to key words, linking to dictionary/thesaurus and the screen reading can help so many make the leap to reading.
Off to catch a few pages before lunch …
I agree with e-books/e-readers will be big. I don’t read books but I probably read three or four times more than most of my friends on a daily basis. I also think e-ink will be huge, the idea of having dynamic display boards in classrooms really tickles my creativity buds.