Darryl Mocek

I have been interested in electronic books (eBooks) ever since I saw the Nuvomedia's Rocket eBook many years back. eBooks are devices, designed to fit comfortably in your hands, which let you download and store books in electronic form. Similar to downloading and reading a PDF document onto your computer. However, eBooks are designed to be portable, easy to read, and again, comfortable in your hands. In short, a replacement for your paperback or hardback book. The advantages are that you don't kill trees, you don't need a place to store them, and you can carry many books with you without the bulk. I didn't buy the Rocket eBook at the time because the price was more then I was willing to spend and the number of books available on it was limited.



I recently purchased a Sony eReader...an electronic book. I bought the book because the price was right (I found the price at a discount because Sony released a new version of their eReader), because I figured there would be a lot of content for it considering Sony is behind it, because it came with a few "new" books, and because it came with a *lot* of "classic" books (I was able to get Beowulf, in its original form).



What I like about the eReader is:

• The eInk technology, which I won't go into in detail, allows the eReader to display information without using any battery. Energy is used only when first displaying information.


• The form factor feels right. The size and weight of the eReader is just right for me.


• Sony has a reputation for building solid products

What I don't like about the eReader is:

• The main file format it uses is Sony-proprietary. This isn't a surprise coming from Sony.


• No access to the network. This one is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. While I'd like to be able to download books and periodicals wirelessly, I don't really want to have to pay 1) a high price for the eBook itself (ala other eBooks which have wireless support) and 2) a price for wireless access. I like that the Amazon Kindle uses a cell network so you can use it anywhere, I don't like that I'm paying for that wireless access by being charged for converting files. WiFi support, although not available everywhere, would suffice for me.


• The user interface leaves something to be desired. The new version of the eReader moved some buttons around for a better user experience, but the UI on the new model is pretty much the same as on mine.

It is this last point which brings me to write this entry...when will I get my iBook? An eBook is just screaming for someone like Apple to slap a touch screen on it so I can swipe my hand from right to left over it to turn the page. I should be able to swipe my finger in the top right and left corners diagonally to create a bookmark. The virtual keyboard on the iPhone would be perfect for entering in URL's so I could read websites. Where's my easy to use iBook? Adding WiFi which would let me access web pages, read periodicals, and download books easily.



Maybe since eBooks are on the uptake, I'll have my iBook soon.