Regular readers of this blog know my adoption of e-reading is underway, but at a cautious pace. ( iEvolve? Will e-readers end bookshelves?) My last post – Will Fat Books Sell More E-Books? – was about whether or not doorstop books would be enough to make me take the e-reader plunge. Well, yes and no. No, I did not put an e-reader on my Christmas wishlist. On the other hand, seriously researching electronic reading devices has made me realize that I’m going to “cross over” soon. I’m guessing 2012 will be the year. That’s assuming I find a reader that offers the features I want at a good price. What do I want my e-reader to do?
- Brighten my day. I like the lack of glare from grayscale e-ink technology but I also want the option of colour – I’ll be reading newspapers, not just books, and who wants to absorb all the things going on in the world these days in black and white?
- Show me what it means. I want a dictionary and I want it at my fingertips. I was seriously considering the Kobo Vox, which has great colour, but unfortunately no dictionary. (What were these designers thinking?)
- Tell me how to say it. It’s not enough to know a lot of big words – what’s erudition without proper pronunciation? My smartphone and computer offer a speaker icon so I can find out how a word is pronounced (and thereby not embarrass myself when I repeat said word at a dinner party) and I want the same feature on my e-reader.
- Don’t try to force me to love only you. I dislike proprietary formats. Why should I buy books only from your bookstore?
- Gain a little girth — without adding any weight. While each e-reader I looked at was light enough to hold for several chapters without straining my arm, they just weren’t…big enough. I want something that more closely mimics the feel of a book in the hand. (I know – tablets are bigger. I did linger at the iPad table, and I almost went for a PlayBook.) I tried flipping one e-reader sideways, expecting the text to go horizontal as it does on my smart phone, but it didn’t work.
Am I too fussy? My husband thinks so. But I’m betting that by my birthday, there’ll be a couple new e-readers on the market that will satisfy me.
Meanwhile, in my research I discovered a few good sites with information on e-readers. I recommend Good e-Reader. If you want to let me know what I missed in my research, please comment below.
(Photo credit: goXunuReviews)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t think I want to read a book on any electronic device — at the same time, i find myself reading more articles on my computer, and actually, wouldn’t it be so much better to read off a tablet? Like you, I think I will succumb to e-readers within the year.
I know how you feel, Amy. A couple days ago, I was looking at an online article on my smart phone and I ended up reading the whole thing (it was well over 1,000 words) on that tiny screen. I was rubbing my eyes and thinking: Tablet! Thanks for commenting.