Ebooks Reader; The Death Knell For Reading? - By: Thomas Pretty

Ebooks have certainly arrived in the world of reading. Whilst some critics may still be harking on about the quality of a real book and the smell of pages, those unafraid to embrace technological change have made the leap towards purchasing an e reader. The e reader is becoming an increasingly common site on trains, buses, in coffee shops and also in the home. Whilst the development of the e reader may not mean the complete death of books, it does herald in an age of more comfortable and practical reading, in all manner of situations.

E reading is gradually working its way into people's lives. Paper and script has been the mainstay of literature for the last two thousand years, it is in this third millennium that society has now found a new literature medium, the electronic book; a book without a physical presence but instead a digital representation of the original author's work.

When ebooks first hit the scene they were intended for use by academics to share information and theories in a faster medium than regular journals. At this stage the majority of e books were read on PCs as this suited the working environment. Since this time however entrepreneurs and technology companies have realised the market opportunity for commercial titles in digital form. The next logical step of this market being a portable e reader that allows users to read their e books on the move.

Early e readers however had number of problems. The LCD screens and the necessity for a backlight meant that battery life was poor. For the same reasons, users found the bright LCD screens difficult to read from for extended periods, seriously restricting the market potential for such a device. Another drawback to these early devices was the sheer range of file formats that ebooks were produced in, and more importantly the limitations of early e reader technology to display this variety of file formats.

In recent years this has changed though. Technology companies have worked on a form of LCD technology that does not require a backlight. This has had a twofold affect on the e reader generally. Firstly the removal of the backlight has meant battery life has been greatly enhanced, making the devices far more practical for the user. Secondly the e ink technology, the term given to the new LCD displays has made the e reader far more usable, reducing eyestrain for readers considerably.

Currently many publishers are seeing the benefits of producing books in digital form. Not only is it cheaper but it is also far more ecologically sound, reducing the need for paper and hence limiting the amount of trees being harvested. Even with these environmental benefits some commentators have remained critical of the worth of ebooks and digital literature.

The main argument is that that e readers are doing away with the traditionalism of books and the written word. This conservative attitude however has been evident at the advent of all technological advancement, there is only so long it will be espoused as increasing numbers of people realise the benefit of having a portable library.

Today, the modern e reader is able to hold around one hundred and fifty novels and is good for around seven thousand page turns per battery charge. The most modern devices even incorporate Mp3 functionality creating a full media experience for the user. One this is certain, while the e reader may not be the death knell for the book entirely, it does represent advancement in digital literature and the written word.

About the Author

Electronics expert Thomas Pretty looks at the development of ebooks reader technology and how this is changing the reading habits of people.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Thomas-Pretty/28720

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