E-Readers

Have Print Books Met Their End?

bySara Bornstein, Colleen McGhee, Jacob Sadow

Examples of E-readers

The Kindle

The Nook

Slim Que Reader

History• 1990: First generation of e-readers became available. Sony Data Discman,

the Franklin Bookman, and the NuovoMedia’s Rocket Ebook were all released. By 2000, most were discontinued or had a very small user bases.

• 2005: Sony Librié- released in only in Japan • 2006: Sony released the first of a new generation of e-readers, the PRS-

500, that used E ink, which creates a paper-like display on the screen. These new readers were lighter, the battery lasted longer, held more memory (up to 200 e-books), and had a built-in dictionary. Needed a USB attachment to upload information.

• 2007: Amazon prompted the current ereader frenzy with the Kindle- offers instant access to books, magazines and newspaper subscriptions through a wireless connection to the Amazon website.

• 2008: Sony released PRS-505, and a touchscreen reader, PRS-700. • 2009: Sony released RS-300 and PRS-600, PRS-2121, Barnes & Noble

released the Nook, Amazon released newest version of Kindle which now holds 1,500 books.

• 2010: Plastic Logic released Que Reader

To sum up e-reader advancements:

• E ink (screen more page-like)• Lighter weight• Wireless instead of USB dependent, thus faster

downloading anywhere at any time• More features (dictionary & encyclopedic

references, touch screens, resizable font)• More memory • More types of downloadable information

(books, magazines, newspapers)

...pretty much anyone under the age of thirty qualifies for being accustomed to a 'constant stream of digital stimulation.' And so to expect future generations to be satisfied with printed books

is like expecting the Blackberry users of today to start communicating by writing letters, stuffing envelopes and licking

stamps.

~Print is Dead by Jeff Gomez: Comments by users and quotes from books: Amazon's Print is Dead page

E-reader Advantages• We are living in a digital age. We use iPhones for everything and the

iPad is the newest way to read the newspaper. So it seems that the E-reader will become more popular than the print book.

• E-readers now have text-to-speech/read-aloud functions so readers can listen to their book while working on something else

• E-readers are now wireless so access is easier and faster than ever• Readers can resize and reformat flow of font to their specifications with

the Blio system• E-books are easily convertible to different formats. • Readers can carry hundreds of books on a single device and download

more instantly from anywhere • Books never have to go out of print • Cheaper

E-reader Disadvantages

• You can't move as well with a Kindle in bed as you can with a book.

• Some likes the feel of holding a book in hand.• Reading an electronic device in the bathroom

may not be a good idea!

Advantages of E-readers & Libraries

• Because E-readers are relatively new, libraries are still testing their usefulness. Simmons College is currently testing their usefulness in a university library setting. Here is an article that was written about their findings so far:

RODZVILLA, JOHN. "The portable e-book: issues with e-book reading devices in the library." Serials 22.3 S1 (2009): S6-S10. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.

The conclusion: They need to expand the number of and type of people chosen as test subjects.

• The article Curled Up with a Mobile Devise also states that we don't have enough information yet on e-readers being helpful in university settings so we need to do more research.

• Tremendous opportunity for space conservation• Reduction or elimination of waiting lists for popular fiction

Statistics

• Price of the Kindle: $259.00• Kindle price for recent bestsellers is usually

$9.99• Average Hardcover in Amazon: $15.00• Kindle price for out of copyright and published

before 1923: $0.00

In Summary…

• E-books are much better.

Q & A