If you stop by Amazon, you'll see Jeff Bezos has launched their latest product: Kindle. Jeff promises that "reading on Kindle is nothing like reading on a computer screen." Weighing in at less than a paperback (but costing much more: $399) and with room for 200 novels, Kindle (and the other many 'electronic paper' systems of its kind) is probably the future for reading.
I remember the discussion long ago that J.K. Rowling could have single-handedly launched e-books if she had chosen to only release her Harry Potter electronically. My young neighbors were less than fond of the idea. Even pre-teens savor the feel, the weight, the tangible pages of books. But we did get into a bit of a debate and I remember saying there was likely a similar feeling of nostalgia when printing presses came to fashion and books were no longer hand-written (though the majority of the population probably could not afford books and maybe could not even read).
One major difference between Kindle and a book? Kindle cannot be subsituted as kindling. So if you're due to wash up on a deserted island, still better to pack a paperback.
Technology
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Other major differences:
-You'll still be able to read your paperback 5, 10, 15, etc. years down the road. (What digital storage medium were you using 15 years ago? Can you still "read" it?)
-You can share a paperback with a friend or donate it to a library when you're done.
That said, cool toy. I wouldn't mind seeing one under my Christmas tree.
Posted by: Len | November 21, 2007 5:23 AM
There is no way a big, ugly, black and white screen costing $400 will displace books. Perhaps if the price falls a lot we can expect to start seeing these things proliferate.
Posted by: Milan | November 21, 2007 6:57 AM
Electronic books are devoid of identity and feeling. How can a single electronic gadget that contains over 200 books ever offer the same sense of identity as a single book with a single cover that is it's own personality with it's own existence. It can't. Even pondering the question is disturbing: will reading books become a relic of the past, only seen on rare occasions like the eccentric habit of smoking cigarettes from a cigarette holder? The thought disturbs the future but then how do old people relate to our modern habits?
Posted by: Joe | November 21, 2007 7:11 AM
I'm a big fan of the Gutenberg project, and use my Palm Pilot (hmm--technically a Tungsten E) to read rather obsolete books. Recently they've had a bunch of WWI books about the British soldiers fighting in Iraq.
No, e-books aren't quite like regular books. But they've got a lot of advantages. Like my Tungsten currently has over 400 books on it. And it doesn't loose my place. And if I'm in the mood for a mystery instead of philosophy I've already got a bunch of choices. And I can read it in the dark. And when I had a crying one-year-old, I could walk around with her at two in the morning, walking, soothing, and reading, without turning on any lights.
Posted by: Peter | November 21, 2007 12:21 PM
I'll admit I'd love to find one of these under my potted tree this year, but the hidden costs sound frustrating. They claim there's absolutely no need for a computer - so Amazon charges you every time you want to add own of your OWN documents to your Kindle through an email service!
Posted by: Lucas | November 22, 2007 11:59 AM
Good tips on the hidden costs. I had also never considered the benefits of lightless, pageless reading while child soothing. That's an awesome selling point.
Posted by: Jennifer L. Jacquet | November 22, 2007 10:30 PM
My gripe is that I'm an active reader and like to put notes in the margins, highlight, etc. There's nothing I enjoy more than rereading an old favorite and finding not only my own comments, but those comments in the handwriting of 7th-grade me.
Posted by: Emily | November 25, 2007 5:17 PM
I think I'm going to make this post into pros and cons list for tomorrow's post (Nov. 27).
Posted by: Jennifer L. Jacquet | November 26, 2007 6:02 AM