Books took thousands of years to develop, but e-books seem to be hitting the mainstream after only a few decades.
E-book readers such as Amazon’s Kindle ($299), the Sony Reader ($279.99) or the COOL-ER ($249), after struggling to gain an audience in the 1990s, are finally going mainstream. Total e-book sales crested $25 million in the first quarter of 2009, up more than 50% from the quarter before.
Companies tout their devices as being more versatile and less expensive per copy than printed products. But is an e-book reader a smart investment?
The cost of purchasing an e-book-–depending on whose device you use-–generally ranges between $5 and $15 for new releases. Considering most printed hardbacks retail for around $20 to $30, you would have to buy about 20 e-books to make up for the average purchase price of the reader device.
But there are other factors to consider. An e-book reader can carry a ridiculous number of e-books, but it can’t be used to straighten a table’s wobbly leg.
So do your homework--here you can find reviews for the Kindle, Reader and COOL-ER--then determine whether or not an e-book reader may be right for you. Just don’t be disappointed if you can’t read your favorite novel because the batteries ran out, or if you find yourself out $300 because your nephew used your gadget as a frisbee. On the bright side, it’s now okay to ask authors to autograph your e-book reader for you. Crazy.
--Brandon
Photo taken from this photostream and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
Its a new generation of Pads and tablets.....smartphones and ebook are going to be be the future....they are still developing. Thanks for sharing.
Everyone keeps saying that print will go away, and while it is changing, it's hard to say what the future looks like for print. And the market for electronic reading material is hugely dependant on what happens in print. Thanks for commenting!
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