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eBook Readers Reviewed
An eBook Reader Device has to pass the following tests.
- To be able to read clearly while sitting on the can. (Sorry! Not very Ladylike)
- To be able to read clearly in the open air,
- To be able to read clearly while in a train, boat, bus or plane.
A quick word on eBook Reader Files and Formats
eBook Reader Devices only read eBook Files.
A pretty obvious statement, until you realise that ebook reader files come in a few different formats just to make life more interesting.
- Adobe acrobat files have the extension .pdf (Portable Document File) is by far the most widespread brought into being by Adobe Inc in 1993. There are huge libraries of pdf files and text files that can easily be coverted to pdf files ready to use in your eBook Reader
- .chm Files. These too are used in Ebook Readers. They are the same format as the help file of a computer program that you see when you press F1 on the keyboard.
- .doc Files. Microsoft Office Word Document Files .html Files also available everywhere and lend themselves to the eBook Formula.
- .azw Files are a Proprietary file format used by Amazon Kindle Device which sells around $359.00
It has long been predicted that traditional books are about to be replaced by eBook Reader Devices on which you can download any novel you fancy. But the technology has never really been up to the job. Until now that is.
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The Next Big Thing?
The
thing that appeals to us is the ease of loading say, 150 books on to an
Ebook Reader and having enough reading material for 3 months, yet it
takes up less room than a paperback. That would keep us occupied on Vacation or a long flight to the far corners of the world?
eBooks have the potential to replace traditional paper books and become a huge marketing opportunity for the company that locks all users into it's propietory format? eBooks Readers have been around for 10 years now, but no company has managed it yet. Amazon's latest marketing strategy seems to be that they are going to corner the market by having a propiertory format exclusive to them. However, I think they will be thwarted by the fact that the .pdf file has been around too long and is too well established to budge from it's place as the most portable file format. And anyway, the hackers and file manipulators have already made software that coverts between Amazon's format and other formats
With big names like Fujitsu, Epson, Seiko entering the fray early in 2009 it seems we are going to be spoilt for choice
Take a look at the specification of each of the eBook Readers on the market today by looking at the Store pages
eBooks have the potential to replace traditional paper books and become a huge marketing opportunity for the company that locks all users into it's propietory format? eBooks Readers have been around for 10 years now, but no company has managed it yet. Amazon's latest marketing strategy seems to be that they are going to corner the market by having a propiertory format exclusive to them. However, I think they will be thwarted by the fact that the .pdf file has been around too long and is too well established to budge from it's place as the most portable file format. And anyway, the hackers and file manipulators have already made software that coverts between Amazon's format and other formats
With big names like Fujitsu, Epson, Seiko entering the fray early in 2009 it seems we are going to be spoilt for choice
Take a look at the specification of each of the eBook Readers on the market today by looking at the Store pages
kindle | sony | hanlin | irex | cybook | franklin | bebook | ectaco | fujitsu | seiko-epson
