Electronic readers grow in popularity despite prices
Electronic readers like the Kindle have a demand increase leaving printed books in the dust
Jon Anderson
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Features
With the popularity of electronic readers steadily increasing, reading from a book could become a thing of the past. The Kindle, Nook and Sony Reader are changing the way Americans read, offering a high-tech approach to shopping at a bookstore.
The concept of the electronic reader is simple. It is a wireless mobile device, capable of downloading books anywhere. There are no monthly fees or contracts.
However, users are charged a fee for the download comparable to the cost of the book in print. After the download is completed, it can be read like a book.
The Kindle, available exclusively at Amazon.com, costs $259 and is among the most popular of the new devices. It is the second version of the electronic reader Amazon has released. It features a longer battery life that allows reading for a week on a single charge with the wireless on and two weeks without.
The Kindle web site boasts more than 400,000 books, which can be downloaded in less than 60 seconds.
Megan Tedell, access and instructional librarian at Grand View, received a Kindle as a gift. Tedell said having so many books at her fingertips is one of her favorite features.
"It's convenient for travel, because I don't have to think about what books I want to bring with me," Tedell said.
The Nook was released by Barnes & Noble just in time for the holiday season. They are about the same size as the Kindle, but have a few different features.
The Nook allows users to share books with friends. When a book is downloaded, it can be shared with other Nook owners for 14 days. After that time, the book is returned safely to the owner's digital bookshelf.
Also, when users visit Barnes & Noble, they are able to access a system allowing them to read any book in the store on their Nook.
The Nook is also $259 and cost for the downloads are about the same as the Kindle.
Getting your hands on a Nook will be hard, though. They are on back order until the middle of February.
The Sony Reader, available at Best Buy, has not sold many units. Zach Wheeler, portable electronics sales associate, said the store has not seen much interest in the devices.
"We had some people ask about them, but I haven't sold any," Wheeler said. "They're not a very popular item."
The Reader is about the same size as the Kindle and Nook, but only holds 350 books and with a cost of $399 is more expensive than other similar devices.
The concept of the electronic reader is simple. It is a wireless mobile device, capable of downloading books anywhere. There are no monthly fees or contracts.
However, users are charged a fee for the download comparable to the cost of the book in print. After the download is completed, it can be read like a book.
The Kindle, available exclusively at Amazon.com, costs $259 and is among the most popular of the new devices. It is the second version of the electronic reader Amazon has released. It features a longer battery life that allows reading for a week on a single charge with the wireless on and two weeks without.
The Kindle web site boasts more than 400,000 books, which can be downloaded in less than 60 seconds.
Megan Tedell, access and instructional librarian at Grand View, received a Kindle as a gift. Tedell said having so many books at her fingertips is one of her favorite features.
"It's convenient for travel, because I don't have to think about what books I want to bring with me," Tedell said.
The Nook was released by Barnes & Noble just in time for the holiday season. They are about the same size as the Kindle, but have a few different features.
The Nook allows users to share books with friends. When a book is downloaded, it can be shared with other Nook owners for 14 days. After that time, the book is returned safely to the owner's digital bookshelf.
Also, when users visit Barnes & Noble, they are able to access a system allowing them to read any book in the store on their Nook.
The Nook is also $259 and cost for the downloads are about the same as the Kindle.
Getting your hands on a Nook will be hard, though. They are on back order until the middle of February.
The Sony Reader, available at Best Buy, has not sold many units. Zach Wheeler, portable electronics sales associate, said the store has not seen much interest in the devices.
"We had some people ask about them, but I haven't sold any," Wheeler said. "They're not a very popular item."
The Reader is about the same size as the Kindle and Nook, but only holds 350 books and with a cost of $399 is more expensive than other similar devices.
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