( or Electronic books vs.
Paper/Printed books)
Several weeks ago I wrote about my wife’s e-ink Nook from Barnes and Noble. I was surprised by the number of responses. I had a small number asking why I did not write about the Amazon Kindle or some of the other e-readers. The reason is that I do not get demos to test, so I have no experience with them. (Of course, I would be more than happy to test out any of the others if the manufacturers would like to send them to me-hint, hint.) We read, talked to people, researched and made an informed educated guess. We chose the one we thought would be best for our use and pocketbook.
Most answers were a toss-up : "I couldn’t stand not holding an actual paperback or hardback book…e-books are just a passing fancy, a fad." Or, "I bought one last (fill in a calendar date) and I think they are great!" No one wrote to say that they bought one and did not like it, quite the opposite.
There were many reasons people liked the e-readers. Take a look at the comments below and see if you agree, disagree, never thought of that or really just do not care.
Some people said that the small size and being able to include 1,000 plus books was a big reason they liked theirs. My wife included a couple of her thoughts…if it is windy outside, while reading, you don’t have to fight the wind to keep the pages from turning. Also, bookmarks can’t fall out losing your place. Since she has recently had wrist surgery she finds them lighter in weight and much easier to hold (or just laying it on the table to read is good for her).
Others, like me, who are over 40, can change the font size to a larger or smaller size and even a different font if they wish. That means that you may not need to use reading glasses to see the e-pages.
One very popular reason is: great convenience. The convenience is you do not have to travel to the bookstore to get a new novel. That would not influence my purchase of an e-reader since I love walking around a large bookstore and looking at all the available titles.
In closing, I have often heard that reflected light, like from a paper book, newspaper or e-ink (used with the Barnes and Noble Nook) is better for your eyes than direct light, say from a computer monitor or a color eBook reader shining into your eyes. I checked with my eye doctor, Dr. Mary Alice Portillo, of Waynesboro, VA, for the validity of this thought.
Dr. Portillo says that although the eyes are not negatively affected by either type of light, some people’s eyes become tired or more uncomfortable from the direct light of the computer screen. However, it is really a personal preference for comfort. So if you aren’t bothered by eye strain/stress from your computer screen, feel free to choose either type of e-book reader.
One last thought from me…I think these are some derivative of them are here to stay, these are not a passing fancy or a fad. At least not for me since I bought my color Nook last week.
