A coworker recently bought a Sony Reader, which if you don’t know is a super-slick e-book viewer that doesn’t use any power to display a page - just to ‘turn’ pages. I held it and read a couple pages. It’s cool but there is a certain comforting je ne sais quoi about a paper book.
I read recently that the Sony reader is not doing too well in the market. I’m familiar with that kind of gadget, having owned a Rocket eBook for years. While they can hold the equivalent of a bookshelf in your hand, they will never replace books for a variety of reasons. Books don’t break when you drop them. Books don’t need batteries. Books can be read in a wide range of lights and environments. Books store a decent amount of data and can have a much larger and much higher definition “screen”. Books are not subject to Format Obsolescence. Books have proven durable enough to last thousands of years if simply protected from moisture and insects.
Oh,,I have been looking at that reader and they won’t let me try it out in the store.
Did it feel like reading a book? I want one so I don’t have to drag books when I travel.
“there is a certain comforting je ne sais quoi about a paper book.”
Especially after it makes splash down from falling off the back of the commode.