E-Book Readers

The eBook Reader, an electronic device that can easily be carried by an individual like a traditional book, is an integral part of the trend towards eBook technology. The reader is typically smaller than a paperback book and reads any documents that you might normally read from a computer such as PDF files or word documents. Some of the most common types of ebook reader that you will come across are the Kindle by Amazon and the Sony Reader.

More than 88,000 books–generally $10 each–are available in the Kindle store, including most of the current New York Times best-sellers and new releases. The Kindle uses an EvDO network and, where available, 3G connectivity. Other hardware devices such as PDAs and smart phones may allow eBooks to be read but their screen is generally not optimised to allow the best eBook reading experience.

And it is precisely because reading from a computer screen is difficult to do for a long period of time that there is a market for E-book Readers. They supply something that is in demand. And many are embracing it because of positive aspects such as the saving on printed material. And e-books are increasingly easy to get hold of. Project Gutenberg (PG) collects and maintains a library of public domain books in electronic text format, in an assortment of languages.

And the e-book trend is set to continue with Apple purportedly working on an eBook reader . I have hopes for that, in that if it’s a 6″x9″ creature with an iPhone like interface, I could see a genuine use for it. Authors will be attracted to its ability to display a wide variety of eBook formats. Another big player in the ebook reader market is the BeBook which  is capable of reading a wide range of digital document formats: pdf, mobi, lit, epub, html, doc, fb2, txt, ppt, prc, rtf, jpg, mp3 files and many more. It features a 6-inch reflective screen, an SD card slot, 512MB of internal storage and a USB connector and weighs just 220 grams (less than 8oz) including the battery.

With regards to features and options, look at each ebook reader to see which one fits your needs. Some PDAs allow you to read ebooks, but their screens are tiny. These days you can click a few buttons and have the exact book you want delivered to your computer or ebook reader instantly. That kind of service just can’t be beaten and the Kindle even allows you to subscribe to newspapers and magazines on a daily basis as well as buy “traditional” e-books. And many iPhone users are discovering eBooks. Perhaps when they learn the difference they will demand that developers bring readers up to speed.

And e-book product development is continuing to grow fast. The Kindle covers come with the features such as great color, sleek design and the use of superior material. These covers are designed specifically to fit your Kindle device and carry it safely. Plastic Logic has just announced that it has partnered with AT&T on its upcoming eBook reader that’s slated to launch in 2010. Said reader will be about the size of a piece of paper and will be less than 0.2 inches thick

And the price of conventional books is going through the roof. Plus, when you are on the go, you can only carry so many books which makes an e-book reader an essential part of a long trip. But most e-book readers still cost more than $300 dollars. Come on manufacturers – if you want to make a really successful product that will really sell in big numbers then make an e-book reader that is feature rich and sell it at WalMart for under $300dollars. That will really change things and shake the book market up completely.

So just as some people prefer audio books, many people prefer e-books and this is a trend that is not going to stop. The publishing world is changing fast and people want their books instantly and devices like the Kindle can supply exactly that instant gratification. And in some self help markets the e-book reader could be a godsend – if you need a cure for a condition (or even need advice on getting a baby to sleep) and just can’t wait till the book shop opens, then e-book readers could be just what you need.