The world of Electronic Readers or (E-Readers) is moving so quickly it is hard to keep up.
There are many different e-readers on the market that will allow you to download electronic books (e-books) and read them wherever you go. I will focus on the major three sellers from the last year, the Amazon Kindle, the Sony E-Reader, and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Each offers the ability to purchase, download and read electronic books, newspapers, and magazines and employs e-ink technology; however, there are some differences.
There are many different e-readers on the market that will allow you to download electronic books (e-books) and read them wherever you go. I will focus on the major three sellers from the last year, the Amazon Kindle, the Sony E-Reader, and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Each offers the ability to purchase, download and read electronic books, newspapers, and magazines and employs e-ink technology; however, there are some differences.
The Kindle is supported mainly by Amazon. If customers buy a Kindle they will have to buy most of their titles from Amazon. I say mainly and most because you can get some titles free from Amazon but they are mainly classic titles. The Kindle can also support audio books but they have to be bought from Amazon (like iTunes). The website is easy to access (http://www.amazon.com/) and pretty user friendly. Most titles, including new and bestselling materials, are $9.99 or less. The Kindle uses a 5-point controller to maneuver around and is connected to online dictionary, so you can just move the cursor over a word and get the definition. The Kindle is also connected to Wikipedia, so you can get more information on a word or topic. The Kindle is not compatible with the library’s electronic books through Overdrive. (EPub format).
The Sony Reader is a product of Sony and has a dedicated website (http://ebookstore.sony.com/) that allows you to download e-books and audio books. The website is easy to navigate and also has a “Library finder” search option. You just put in the zip code and it will bring up a list of libraries with e-books for the reader. The Sony Reader is also compatible with several free sites of public domain material, like Project Gutenberg. The Reader utilizes a touch screen system in order to maneuver.
The Barnes and Noble Nook is the relative “new kid on the block” when it comes to major e-readers. It has physical buttons, but also boasts a color touch screen, on which you can use a virtual keyboard if you so choose. Titles are available from their website (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/) Owners of the Nook can “lend” purchased material to other Nook owners for up to 14 days at a time. The Nook supports the E-Pub format, which is what Overdrive uses.
All can read pdf’s, all allow for annotation, and all have ability to listen to MP3’s.
Standard titles and authors that now reside in the public domain/open source are available to read online or to download at no cost to anyone and will work on any e-reader. Below are a few public domain /open source sites:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/mainpage
http://www.feedbooks.com/
All can read pdf’s, all allow for annotation, and all have ability to listen to MP3’s.
Standard titles and authors that now reside in the public domain/open source are available to read online or to download at no cost to anyone and will work on any e-reader. Below are a few public domain /open source sites:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/mainpage
http://www.feedbooks.com/
