If you're like me, you prefer having a bound book in your hands. It seems, however, that several news sources are heralding the continued growth of Kindle books (electronic books read on special electronic readers, generically called "kindles"). Right now Kindle is available through Amazon, but newssources say that Google plans to give Amazon some real competition, with additional companies perhaps joining the e-books war.
To make a long story short (yeah, right!), many key online booksellers (such as Barnes and Noble) now offer e-books, which are able to be downloaded to your computer or many mobile devices, like iPhones/iPod Touch and Blackberries. A kindle however is larger--and though I haven't tried it--rather easier to read, I suspect, than a smaller mobile device.
Now, a big war seems to loom on the horizon, according to Reuters.com (link provided with permission of Thomson Reuters) between Google and other companies, like Sony and perhaps Microsoft for the e-book reader pie.
For those of you not technology-adverse, it seems pretty great--with all kinds of bells and whistles. The Kindle e-reader weighs just over 10 ounces, is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and holds up 200 titles. There's a new, lighter version (holds 1,500 books! and is about 8 inches x 5 inches) and even the latest version, Kindle DX, that holds an unbelievable 3,500 books (though this one is bigger in size - about 10.5 x 7 inches and is listed on Amazon for a whopping $489.00).
Austen fans can find her books on any of these, I imagine, or download them from booksellers--though I suspect Jane Austen's original works and many adaptations and current Austen-inspired titles would be pre-loaded. And, I see, that Kindle versions of Austen books (book pictured at right available through Amazon.com) have been read by many apparently.
However, being that I am rather a "techno-clod", that the Kindle is rather expensive (around $250.00 for the original version) and that I simply like the feel and smell of an old-fashioned book in my hand -- well, I suppose for now that I'll forego all this. My friend, Bill, a real computer type, however, swears by them. It's all rather too techny for me, but I think that for many it's already here. (See June 9 New York Times piece by Jeff Bezos.)
Let me know what you think! Maybe we'll all be surprised?
Susanwrites
To make a long story short (yeah, right!), many key online booksellers (such as Barnes and Noble) now offer e-books, which are able to be downloaded to your computer or many mobile devices, like iPhones/iPod Touch and Blackberries. A kindle however is larger--and though I haven't tried it--rather easier to read, I suspect, than a smaller mobile device.
Now, a big war seems to loom on the horizon, according to Reuters.com (link provided with permission of Thomson Reuters) between Google and other companies, like Sony and perhaps Microsoft for the e-book reader pie.
For those of you not technology-adverse, it seems pretty great--with all kinds of bells and whistles. The Kindle e-reader weighs just over 10 ounces, is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and holds up 200 titles. There's a new, lighter version (holds 1,500 books! and is about 8 inches x 5 inches) and even the latest version, Kindle DX, that holds an unbelievable 3,500 books (though this one is bigger in size - about 10.5 x 7 inches and is listed on Amazon for a whopping $489.00).
Austen fans can find her books on any of these, I imagine, or download them from booksellers--though I suspect Jane Austen's original works and many adaptations and current Austen-inspired titles would be pre-loaded. And, I see, that Kindle versions of Austen books (book pictured at right available through Amazon.com) have been read by many apparently.
However, being that I am rather a "techno-clod", that the Kindle is rather expensive (around $250.00 for the original version) and that I simply like the feel and smell of an old-fashioned book in my hand -- well, I suppose for now that I'll forego all this. My friend, Bill, a real computer type, however, swears by them. It's all rather too techny for me, but I think that for many it's already here. (See June 9 New York Times piece by Jeff Bezos.)
Let me know what you think! Maybe we'll all be surprised?
Susanwrites
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