Digital eBook Readers: The Next Big Thing
A recent explosion in the availability of newer, faster, brighter, shinier digital ebook readers, most recently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has changed the digital landscape for those interested in ebooks and other electronic publications. This embarrassment of riches offers a number of alternatives to anyone looking to upgrade their existing digital reader, or those in the market for their very first ebook display.
Wider availability and more consumer choice is always a plus in the long term, but they also open up the prospects for misinformation and buyer uncertainty. We hope to knock some of that confusion out of the picture for you, and present the facts you need to make a smart buying decision.
Kindle and Apple iPad Face Off
For Digital Reader Dominance
Dozens of electronics manufacturers, some household names and some not, have introduced digital ebook readers in the wake of the early success of the Amazon Kindle, a high-profile player in the ebook reader arena. Amazon’s most recent release, the Kindle DX, has been well received by press and public, and Amazon is hopeful that the DX will maintain its leadership in the digital reader marketplace.
The fly in that particular ointment may be the recent entry into the digital reader market by Apple, with its introduction of the iPad. Expected to go on sale in April 2010, the Apple iPad does much more than allow the downloading and reading of ebooks, and seems to have raised the bar for the other makers of digital ebook readers. The iPad includes the capability to send and receive email, browse the web, manage your iTunes and iPhoto libraries, and download and view movies on a beautiful color TFT display. There is a map application, a calendar application, a contacts manager, and almost 140,000 other applications in the Apple App Store that will work “just fine” on the new iPad.
While the iPad, strictly as a digital ebook reader, may not be the best of all available devices at this single task, it would seem at the very least to prompt makers of digital readers to take a long look at the functions and capabilities of the devices they’re offering. The base model iPad, incidentally, sells for the same price as the new Amazon Kindle DX reader.
Consumers Are Embracing eBook Readers
Offerings from other manufacturers, including the Ectaco jetBook, and the Nook from book merchant Barnes and Noble, have all been a part of the rush into the digital ebook reader market by dozens electronics firms. This onslaught has also produced the Sony Reader, and the EZ Reader from Astak.
As public resistance to digital readers wanes, popularity rises and competition heats up. The consumer “wish list” is being addressed, and prices have already started to drop. As in most technology markets, this is a trend that should continue into the foreseeable future.
Digital Readers May Enhance The Future of Publishing
Digital ebook readers range in size from that of a small paperback, to the size of an average hardcover. Most weigh well under a pound, the Apple iPad being one exception, and can store hundreds, even thousands, of publications in its memory. Some include audio and video capabilities, and the Kindle DX, among others, has 3G wireless capability which enables downloading books and periodicals from your home, or in public, without the use of a PC. With every new model comes new features and new technologies, and the simple pleasure of reading a book will soon, no doubt, be transformed forever.
You’ll Find a Large Variety of Digital eBook Readers
Available at Amazon.com
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