E-Book Anyone?

Do you like to read? I have a few friends who have purchased either the Kindle ($259-$489) via Amazon, or the Nook ($259) by Barnes and Noble. They all LOVE them! You can download up to 1500 books all on a little device the size of a small thin paperback. It’s pretty amazing! You can change the font size and one of the best features; you NEVER lose your page! WOW!

Now Apple just introduced the IPAD. Talk about KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! You can surf the web, e-mail, watch a movie, play games, listen to tunes or read a book, magazine, etc! It can synchronize with your I Phone or I Touch, like I have either of those! You’re going to pay for it however. Anywhere from $499-$829 depending on how much speed and storage you want. You’ll also have a possible Internet service of $15-$30 a month.

It can make your head spin! Can you imagine a day when we don’t have paper? Look at all the trees we’d save! Look at all those librarians in the unemployment lines! Not to mention, putting the printing press out of business. Would we even need the US Postal Service anymore?

I wonder if there will come a time when you can get e-books free through the library. That’s the only way I can see myself going to one of these devices. I really like the idea and the size. What I don’t like is the need to pay for books. The big claim is $9.99 for best sellers! That’s all well and good, but if I have to pay $10 a week (that’s what I read on average) for a book and the library is free, I can’t justify an E-reader.

The other down side, that I see is the finger prints. I hate finger prints on my computer screen. I can’t see how people can stand those “I Touch” type devices. I’d be wiping it off constantly!

For now, I’ll stick with my handy paper backs and continue to kill a tree. Since I get my books from the library vs. buying them, I’m not killing as many trees as I could be. We recently subscribed a magazine ‘on line’, so that should be interesting. I don’t know about everyone else, but you only have so many books and magazines you can justify keeping!

In the mean time….HAPPY READING!