Amazon just released the Kindle 2, just in time for the holidays, and other electronic companies like Sony and RCA are making sure to get their feet in the door too! The question is, are electronic readers better than books? More popular than books? Will they ever replace books?
Electronic readers, like the Kindle, hold many books that are downloadable from the Internet. Some of the pro's to having this device start with convenience. The Kindle is easy to carry with you where ever you go and now that it has been updated, you can download books anywhere at anytime, all you need is 60 seconds to load the book. The Kindle supposably reads like a book too, the screen does not illuminate like a computer screen and the words are supposed to look like ink on paper, all that's missing is the paper! Books aren't the only thing that one is able to download, newspapers and other print materials are also availabe via electronic readers. For those who prefer to listen to stories, many of the electronic readers offer an audio option for the story. The Kindle may also help with the amount of paper waste produced. Fewer trees would need to be cut down to produce books, newspapers, and magazines.
The cost for an electronic reader varies a bit, but the Kindle is somewhere around a few hundred dollars. Which brings us to the beginning of the con's. If your Kindle is stolen, it costs much more to replace it than would a book. Also, Kindle books maybe less expensive over hardcover books, but more expensive than paperback. So it may or may not save you money. Although books use up paper, the feel of the pages in one's hands is priceless. People love feeling their books in their hands. I feel like it's a sense of accomplishment when the pages to the left start stacking up on a long, but enjoyable book. I also like to have my bookshelves filled with books, because it makes me feel smart. Another thing that Amazon offers is used books, so you can find books for as cheap as a penny, with a little shipping and handling. Plus, you are recycling a book, meaning you aren't wasting new paper.
As far as libraries go, many of them can't afford to replace lost Kindles, they can hardly afford to replace regular books.
I would love to see a Kindle and test it out. I believe that there are some really cool reasons as to why you would want one. I still prefer to read actual books. I'm tradition I guess.
Sources:
Rocki, Vikki: http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2009/02/25/news/news/news718.txt
Electronic readers, like the Kindle, hold many books that are downloadable from the Internet. Some of the pro's to having this device start with convenience. The Kindle is easy to carry with you where ever you go and now that it has been updated, you can download books anywhere at anytime, all you need is 60 seconds to load the book. The Kindle supposably reads like a book too, the screen does not illuminate like a computer screen and the words are supposed to look like ink on paper, all that's missing is the paper! Books aren't the only thing that one is able to download, newspapers and other print materials are also availabe via electronic readers. For those who prefer to listen to stories, many of the electronic readers offer an audio option for the story. The Kindle may also help with the amount of paper waste produced. Fewer trees would need to be cut down to produce books, newspapers, and magazines.
The cost for an electronic reader varies a bit, but the Kindle is somewhere around a few hundred dollars. Which brings us to the beginning of the con's. If your Kindle is stolen, it costs much more to replace it than would a book. Also, Kindle books maybe less expensive over hardcover books, but more expensive than paperback. So it may or may not save you money. Although books use up paper, the feel of the pages in one's hands is priceless. People love feeling their books in their hands. I feel like it's a sense of accomplishment when the pages to the left start stacking up on a long, but enjoyable book. I also like to have my bookshelves filled with books, because it makes me feel smart. Another thing that Amazon offers is used books, so you can find books for as cheap as a penny, with a little shipping and handling. Plus, you are recycling a book, meaning you aren't wasting new paper.
As far as libraries go, many of them can't afford to replace lost Kindles, they can hardly afford to replace regular books.
I would love to see a Kindle and test it out. I believe that there are some really cool reasons as to why you would want one. I still prefer to read actual books. I'm tradition I guess.
Sources:
Rocki, Vikki: http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2009/02/25/news/news/news718.txt
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