eBook readers are finally poised to break into the mainstream, but are they going to fly off the shelves or crash land on consumer apathy? I. Read on to learn all you need to know about eBooks.
The concept of the eBook has been around for years, but until recently companies could never quite meet Anthony Trollope's assertion that "of all the needs a book has, the chief need is that it be readable". The problem was digital reading devices were hampered by LCD screens. The advent of E Ink has changed everything. E Ink mimics the look of words on paper. E Ink allows you to forget that you're holding a gizmo, granting you the space to sink fully into the story just as you would with a paperback.
With this foundation finally in place, engineers are now busy reinventing the book, and the early signs are promising. All eBook readers have at least enough internal memory to squeeze in around 160 fully indexed eBooks. The Kindle and iLiad also offer the ability to annotate text, with future models promising touch screen interfaces full texts search, capable of delivering video and images web services and color displays.
It's these kinds of innovations that manufacturers believe are going to drive people towards eBooks. "Two years from now, around 30% of people will have some form of eBook reader to read their books, magazines or news," predicts a spokesperson for manufacturer BeBook. "I can put on ten or 20 books before I go on a trip"
Engineers, doctors, executives; there isn't a profession out there that won't benefit from having their vast library of reports and journals condensed into a device the size of an A5 piece of paper or DVD case.
Pricing and proprietary formats are a pain, but manufacturers are convinced prices will fall as demand grows. "The combination of good technology and good pricing will open the market," says the BeBook spokesman. "It's inevitable. Publishers are coming on board with eBook manufacturers because they have to make their money and they see the future is changing. Give it one more year and you'll be reading
