Ebook readers are very much in the public eye right now. In 2009, they were very definitely the hot “must have” gadget of the year, and they seem likely to achieve even more success in 2010. Ebook readers are just portable electronic devices that let you read ebooks (electronic or digital books) when you’re out and about.
They have a lot of advantages. For example, you can carry hundreds of books around with you in a device that is about the size and weight of a typical paperback book. You can carry a small library around with you wherever you go should you wish.
Of course, you can also read ebooks and carry a lot of them around simply by using a notebook computer. It may be slightly larger and a little heavier, but it is, by definition, a mobile device and more than up to the job. Many might think feel that the additional functionality – color display, web browsing, email, word processing etc. is a reasonable trade off for a little extra weight to carry around.
So why would you even consider spending money on an ebook reader? Why burden yourself with an extra device to carry around when your notebook will do the job? The fact is that ebook readers offer some benefits which may not be immediately apparent.
One of the major differences is the type of display used. Computer monitors are normally LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type and are back-lit. After reading for any length of time on a screen of this type you will probably experience some degree of eye strain. Ebook readers, on the other hand, use an e-ink technology screen which is not back-lit. The experience is more similar to reading standard text on plain paper – and it’s very much kinder to your eyes.
A further benefit of e-ink technology is the fact that the display only uses power when it’s “turning” the page. Once the page has been written, no power is required. This means that ebook readers can go for long periods between charges – which is the ideal situation for a battery operated mobile device. Readers will quite happily work for weeks, or for several thousand “page refreshes” before requiring to be recharged.
Yet another benefit of ebook readers is that many of them now feature wireless connectivity. They can connect to the internet and download books using 3G technology with no requirement for a WiFi hotspot or a broadband connection. The Amazon Kindle ebook reader was the first to introduce this feature, but it is now becoming ever more common as other manufacturers produce their own next generation readers.
The number of manufacturers who now have ebook readers on the market is also an important factor. Amazon has been the dominant force in the market – with its Kindle reader – for the last couple of years. It seems likely that Amazon’s dominance will continue – at least in the near future – but greater competition will inevitably result in lower prices. When the Amazon Kindle 2.0 was launched in February of 2009, with a price tag of $ 359. Just a few months later the price had fallen by $ 100 to $ 259.
A lot of business analysts have predicted that a price tag somewhere around $ 150 mark is what’s needed to let ebook readers enter the mainstream. Given the increased level of competition, this price level could well be reached sometime during 2010.
In a nutshell, bearing in mind all the technical benefits, tumbling prices, increased level of choice and continually increasing functionality, ebook readers look set to continue to grow in popularity during the course of 2010. It’s not outwith the realms of possibility that they could, in the fairly near future, assume the same ubiquitous status as mobile phones or the iPod.
