eReaders versus books
May 3, 2010 4 Comments
If you know me or read my blog you’ll know I like to read whenever I get the chance. With the release of the many eReaders on the market like the Amazon Kindle, the upcoming (in Canada) Apple iPad and the recently released Kobo eReader, many people appear to be making the switch from paper to digital. When it comes to this, I’m a little torn.
I’m a fan of bright and shiny technology and would jump at the chance to try new devices on the market, however I’m also a fan of having a collection of books and physically turning the pages. Newspapers are a similar story. I read my news online every day and it’s become a habit for me, though I still enjoy the folding up a paper and reading it with my breakfast or coffee from time to time.
Maybe in these cases nostalgia trumps new technology, or perhaps I’m just prejudiced as I’ve done nothing more than play around with the devices in stores. Do you have one of these devices? What made you switch, and do you miss physical books/newspapers?
About Sean Bailey
I feel exactly the same way. I love shiny technology, but I am a big fan of real books. I enjoy the experience of holding a real book and physically turning the pages.
While I haven’t really made my mind up yet, I think in the end I’ll just have both. Keep an eReader for occasions when I’m traveling and on the go, and keep building my regular book collection for all other times.
Also, libraries need to really improve their ebook selection before I even consider buying an eReader…
Thanks for stopping by Uma!
You make a great point. eReaders are probably best for travel because you can take a whole bunch of books without the clutter. I’m not a big user of libraries to begin with, but I’d be curious how someone can rent out a digital copy? It would be like iTunes and the iPad.. some free, most paid, no?
I haven’t tried it yet, simply because I don’t have an e-reader and I wouldn’t choose to read it on my laptop, but I think you just log onto the website with your library card information and download a copy for free.
Then it probably “expires” on your device after a certain amount of time, just like rentals on iTunes do. The only difference is that it’d be free. I’m guessing you wouldn’t get charged late fees though 😛
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