Will 2009 be the year of the e-book?
From the UK Independent:
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Bookworms who enjoy browsing through dusty tomes in second-hand shops might balk at them, but electronic readers are fast becoming the must-have gadget for literature lovers. Those who have made the switch from conventional books to their sexier, electronic cousins have until now been operating ahead of the curve. But with a spate of new product releases in the pipeline, 2009 could prove to be the year that electronic books, or e-books, cross over from being the sole preserve of techies to a must-have for everyone.
Kindle it seems is about to become available outside of the US.
I’ve posted about e-books a couple of times earlier this year. I think they have been a long time in fulfilling the promise that they held back at the end of the 20th century. But perhaps we are now, with the Amazon Kindle, and the Sony E-book reader, on the verge of a breakthrough for education.
For me though, the e-book reader needs to be something more than just a pdf reader. Here are some of the features I want:
- very affordable - maybe $300 AUD
- notemaking, underlining, highlighting, bookmarking, tagging
- ability to transfer my notes in text form to another device
- speech conversion - so I can listen if I want to - needs adjustable volume with headphones option
- graphic and colour display
- the capability of keeping the book for as long as I want it,
- able to store on a USB and to be read on another reader if I want
- is interoperability of readers too much to ask for? Interchangeable formats so that if I get a new reader (a different brand) I can move books from one to the other.
- maybe archiving of books I’ve read
- scalable text
- backlighting
- long battery life (6 hours??)and quick recharging, and small charging device
- lightweight (under 1 kg), slimline, about A5 in screen size, but sturdy
- bluetooth so it will talk to my other devices
- screen does not scratch easily
- carry bag or carry case easily and cheaply available
Here is a news story on Amazon Kindle with a school manager talking about how he feels about using it to read books.
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How long will it be before text books are available?
My requirements for school text books:
- the ability for schools to buy in bulk
- affordable - none of this $100 a text book stuff
- school/user can buy just a chapter if they want
- all of the features I listed above for the reader itself enabled
Benjamin Higginbotham of Technology Evangelist compares e-book readers including Kindle
So will an e-book reader become yet another “must have” mobile device?
Will you have enough pockets for them all?
- your phone, your ipod, your e-book reader, your mini computer, or will some clever person manage to combine them all?
2 Comments
I agree that 2009 could be the year of the e-book, - what may do it is the transformation of the Nintendo DS - moves are already afoot for this:http://www.displayblog.com/2008/12/10/nintendo-ds-ebook-reader/
I live in Spain, where the DS is gradually becoming the device of choice for many kids AND (and this is important) their parents - if they already have the device, they are more likely to try reading books using it. It’s also made for far more than reading books.
I’ve yet to try it out, but I will once the books come out later this month…
apple are rumoured to have the macTablet or iPad ready for mid-2009 release
likely to be announced at MWSF on Jan5th (6th in OZ)
SJ is already on record as saying ..(he) wants apple to do for reading what the ipod has done for music
the ipod touch goes close..iphone is better
affordable for schools now at around $2AUD per day over three years..including SIM…an altogether different issue for schools to deal with
possibly a case for students inserting their own SIM and carrying their subscription with them
the 3G coverage in australia is nothing like matching the needs of the kindle..access to broadbadn is the key..all schools do that and have wireless networks as well..problem solved!!
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