The Advantages of e-Readers

E-readers are becoming more and more popular everywhere. They are offered as an alternative for 'normal' books, which are made out of paper. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the e-reader?

The disadvantages

Like every new gadget, the e-reader has opponents as well as fans. Books aren't pleasant to read from a screen, the feeling of paper is gone, it's not a real book, an e-reader is too expensive... These are the complaints which are heard about the e-reader most often. They mostly come from people who have no experience with e-readers, because most digital readers agree that an e-reader is very nice and handy. Below several advantages of the e-reader have been listed.

The advantages

• Firstly, an e-reader weighs less than a book. This means readers won't get wrist complaints from the thick books they always read. When going on holiday, digital readers have extra space in their suitcase to bring along souvenirs, since they no longer need to carry books around.
• A minimum of 350 books fits on an e-reader. With the use of extra memory cards this can become much more, which means enthusiastic readers are never without something to read.
• The battery lasts for no less than 7000 pages, so digital readers can read several books before having to charge the e-reader. This is ideal for holidays, when a computer isn't always nearby.
• Of course the e-reader can also be used outside of the holidays. It's small enough that it can easily fit in a purse, so waiting for the bus was never this fun!
• The little space the e-reader takes up is also convenient for people who don't have much room. They don't need to give up any space for a bookcase, but can use their living space for other necessary things.
• The offer of digital books keeps on growing. Free books can be downloaded from websites such as gutenberg.org, manybooks.net and bookboon.com. This offer varies from English classics such as Jane Austen to non fiction. Furthermore, nearly all books that are released these days are also available digitally. You do have to pay for them, but a digital book is always cheaper than a paper version. You can also borrow books from the library, which are free to download for several days or weeks, or for a small amount of money.
• For older readers it's nice to know they no longer need their reading glasses: they can set the desired font size themselves. Most e-readers have around eight settings, varying from very small to very large.
• Furthermore, most e-readers use E Ink technology, which makes the screen look exactly like a paper page. Because no light comes from the screen, as is the case with computers, they don't damage your eyes either. This technology makes the e-reader very suitable to take outside in the sun, because just as with real paper the letters become easier to read when there's more light.
• E-readers are very user friendly. Some models have a touch screen, which makes it easy and fast for readers to navigate through the menus. Other models work with buttons. This means users can choose for themselves what kind of operation system they prefer.
• Depending on the type of e-reader, it is also possible to play music and audio books, which makes it a multifunctional machine. More expensive models also include dictionaries and Internet connections. However, readers can also opt for a simpler and cheaper version on which they can only read books. After all, that is what the e-reader is meant for. In conclusion, there is plenty of choice: from simple to advanced, from affordable to more expensive. The options keep getting more and more extensive, because digital reading owns the future. There's something for everyone!

Sources: www.todio.nl