Why Choose To Use An E-Book Reader?

Ebook readers attracted a great deal of publicity in 2009 - and none more so than Amazon's Kindle. The first ebook reader - generally held to be the Franklin eBookman - was released in 1999, over a decade ago, but it was only in 2009 that public interest was sparked.

Without diminishing the contribution of Sony in any way, it's probably accurate to say that Amazon deserve a lot of the credit for this. The February launch of the Kindle 2.0, followed by the DX in June, seemed to put ebook readers in the spotlight. The launch of Amazon's original Kindle in November of 2007 hadn't provoked anything like the buzz of either the Kindle 2.0 or the DX - so what is different now?

One of Amazon's main selling points is the fact that the Kindle reader was, until very recently, the only reader available with wireless connectivity incorporated. This was also included with the original Kindle, so it doesn't really explain the sudden increase in interest in ebook readers. The Kindle 2.0 was, very definitely, much more cosmetically attractive than the original Kindle. There were also many more Kindle books available to choose from. At the february launch of the Kindle 2.0, there were 240,000 Kindle titles available from Amazon's site. In just a few months this rose to 400,000. At the moment, Amazon is adding an average of 500 new titles daily.

Of course, it might just be the fact that the public have had enough time to grow accustomed to electronic books. Whatever the reason, it does appear that the time is right for ebook readers.

Ebook readers are simply portable devices that allow you to read ebooks - electronic or digital books. This has been possible for a long time now, simply by using a computer - or even an iPod. The difference between reading a book on a notebook and an ebook reader is the display. Computers use a backlit LCD display which will strain your eyes after a while. Ebook readers use something known as an eInk display, which is not backlit and much closer to reading text on paper.

Without going too far into the technical aspects, eInk displays consist of thousands of tiny spheres, each of which contains both black and white charged particle suspended in a liquid. The spheres are sandwiched between a transparent screen and electrical conductors. Passing the correct polarity of electrical current through the conductors causes either the black or white particles to be positioned next to the transparent screen in such a way as to form letters.

E-Ink displays only require power when "writing" the page. Once the particles have been properly positioned they will stay in place without any further power being required. E-Ink technology is not only better for your eye tan a PC monitor, it requires considerably less power to operate. Battery life is extended - which is perfect for a mobile device.

At the moment, there is a long list of companies with ebook readers in development. Increased competition will produce lower prices and, while 2009 may well be remembered as the year that ebook readers took off, 2010 could see them becoming part of the mainstream consumer electronics market. They may be as commonplace as iPods or mobile phones by the end of the year.

Discover the Amazon Kindle reader and check out the huge choice of Kindle books available.