Glossary: e-book (electronic book/ ebook/ ecobook) is the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book.

The Advantages

• Text can be searched automatically and cross-referenced using hyperlinks.You can store around a hundred books on one device!
• They will never go out of print.
• E-Books offer readers who find it difficult to read printed text the opportunity to resize text and change its font.
• You can convert books into audio format so you can listen instead of read.
• Their handy backlight means that reading under the covers is no longer a problem!
• An e-book may be more comfortable for some to hold because it need not be held open like a physical book and can also be set down and read without needing to be held.
• They are more eco-friendly than traditional printing of text on precious paper!

Amazon Kindle…

This is an e-book reader, launched in the United States by prominent online bookseller Amazon.com in November 2007. It uses an electronic paper display, reads the proprietary Kindle (AZW) format, and downloads content over Amazon Whispernet, as yet only available in the U.S., which uses the Sprint EVDO network.

• E-Amazon Kindle’s release in the UK is imminent – at present, Whispernet only works in the US.
• Over 90,000 books were available for download at launch.
• To date, Amazon has sold over 240,000 Kindles.
• The total sales of the device so far are between $86 million and $96 million (the price of the device was reduced to $360 from $400 May 2008).
• Then add the amounts spent on digital books, newspapers, and blogs purchased to read on the device, and you get a business that has easily brought in above $100 million so far.
• You can now access or buy Kindle e-books on Smartphones like the iPhone through Amazon's Kindle application.

The Kindle is wi-fi enabled, which means that you can buy and download books from the internet remotely. However, users can only buy from Amazon which is somewhat restrictive although given Amazon’s vast range this is does not pose much of a problem.

Sony’s PRS-500…

You press a button, the page turns, you read the screen & stop when you want. What else do you want a book to do? I don’t think it is a question of giving up your beautiful hard bound tactile book library – more a case of technology freeing you to take more than one book on holiday without worrying about the weight. Accessing references when and wherever you wish.
 
Sony Reader, unlike the Kindle, is not wi-fi enabled. At a functional level however, it is easy to read and comparatively light – 260g. The battery life is good – reportedly enough to read War & Peace five times (which is more than enough for anyone!), while it can store up to 160 books!

Key Fact

Electronic reading devices are here to stay. Like the initial introduction of mobiles, mp3 players and digital cameras, they will get better and better with an ever increasing opening of jobs available in this new market.

Fed up with heavy books?

The large screen Kindle is perfect to target the college/university textbook market, a $5.5 billion market annually in the U.S. alone. Keep your eyes peeled - they’re sure to be hitting the Educational Market in the immediate future.