but I prefer holding a book in my hands to reading from a computer screen.
We already have the technology that will enable us to carry whole libraries in our pockets. Next month, for example, Amazon will launch Kindle, an electronic book reader, and Google will begin charging users for full access to the digital books in its database. Soon, we'll have electronic tablet devices with enough memory to store hundreds of books.
To get an idea of what it might be like to read an electronic book, take a look at the latest issue of Blogger & Podcaster magazine. Click on the image of the cover to launch the interactive digital edition. You can then flick through the virtual pages by dragging their corners or by using the navigation buttons at the top left.
It's very cool, but for me, this technology will never quite match the experience of reading a paper book. It's true that I have spent much of the last two years reading and writing on computers, but I'm sure I wouldn't want to read a whole electronic book, even if it did have the musty smell of an old paperback.
Comments (9)
Computer screens can't match paper in resolution or contrast, yet. Once they do, the choice will be easy.
That being said, I have read books on the screen, most recently Neil Strauss' The Game (just the kind of book where you might want to see what all the fuss is about without having to get judged by the checkout girl at Borders as you pay for it). It works surprisingly well. I think it really is mostly a matter of habit.
And for one thing, text search is a huge advantage when reading academic texts.
Posted by: Johan | September 15, 2007 3:01 PM