Last week, we brought something new with us on our trip to San Fran: an Amazon Kindle digital reader. Rick bought the 6" version of the Kindle-- it's smaller than a hardcover book and about as thick as a pencil. I couldn't believe just how small it was when I first held it. Its size certainly makes it convenient to travel with; and even though it's tiny, it can hold up to 1,500 books. Another great thing about the Kindle is that the majority of e-books only cost $9.99-- even new books and bestsellers. Magazines and newspapers are even cheaper and they all download onto the device in about one minute.
The Kindle's screen is also impressive. The screen display uses patented "e-ink" that is supposed to mimic the appearance of a book page. The screen is not lit up or bright, so the reader doesn't feel like he or she is reading on a large iPod or BlackBerry. I had initially thought that the Kindle would have more of a computer screen look, which was not appealing to me, so I was pleasantly surprised that it had a very book-like display screen.
Even with all the great features of the Kindle, I really hope that e-readers never replace good, old-fashioned paper-paged books. There's something about holding a book, feeling its weight and turning the pages that make reading an experience. Call me a nerd, but I also like the smell of books and the feel of its pages.
I understand that the world of publishing to paper is costly, endangered and outdated, but just because the technology to solely publish digitally is available, doesn't mean traditional printing should be abolished. Digital publishing will most likely make the written word more available to the masses--something I heartily support--but I believe everyone should at least have the chance to physically hold and read a book.
I may be old-fashioned, but there is something about printed books that e-readers will never be able to capture.
