E-readers
Digital readers or ‘e-readers’ are used to download digitalised texts and ‘borrow’ items from libraries. E-readers have a ‘virtual bookmark’, which remembers the last page that was read. They automatically open on this page, removing the need for bookmarks or folded down corners. E-readers also enable users to zoom into texts. This is a bonus for partially sighted readers, who would normally be limited to reading Large Print editions of books.
The newly launched Sony Reader Daily Edition is a wireless e-reader that enables people to both download books, and to ‘borrow’ books from local libraries. Users can ‘borrow’ e-books for 21 days, after which they ‘expire’ from the reader. This means that users never run the risk of returning a book late and accumulating a fine.
Amazon’s Kindle DX is designed for reading newspapers and periodicals. Over twice the size of Amazon’s earlier Kindle 2 model, it is intended to provide a tabloid-like reading experience. Although the Kindle DX has a high graphics resolution and an A4-page sized screen, its black and white screen can limit the visual impact of photographs.
Bookstore chain Borders has an e-book service, allowing shoppers to purchase and download e-books directly from the Borders website onto their e-reader.
Comments on this article
the Bookstore 3 December, 2010
Borders has gone out of business