Is there an e-book reader in your future?

GOBBLEDEGOOK

Seems like Amazon.com only just recently released Kindle, their e-book reader device, and now they're rolling out the Kindle 2, said to be vastly better, or worse, than Kindle 1, depending on who you talk to. In addition, Barnes & Noble is rolling out the Nook device. Both will compete with devices from Sony ("Reader") and others.

The Nook from Barnes & Noble.

Maybe it's time to take another look at the world of e-books!

There's a market for e-books - everyone knows that. But at the moment there are many competing devices and formats and many customers have had bad experiences with e-reading, especially with DRM (digital rights management) issues (getting your bought and paid for books and magazines to a new computer is a mind-numbing chore).

Now it's becoming a matter of how get content from one device to another (even an upgraded version of the same device!). Another problem has been the formats: do you go with Microsoft and the Microsoft Reader? Or you go with Adobe and the Acrobat Reader? There are other formats to choose from, too, even ones that allow you to read your purchase off your mobile phone. What happens when you buy a new phone? Will your content be able to go with you or will you encounter DRM problems? If your hard drive crashes and you lose all your content, what then? Some stores will allow you to redownload your books; others won't.

Many e-books are just as expensive as their print versions, which makes no sense (well, it's called "price gouging" but we won't get into that). This is a turn-off to many would-be customers; you can spend the same amount of money and get the book itself and not to have to worry about DRM issues or buying a reader device ($200 to $4450, or 6,680 to 148,630 baht). In this case, I think publishers and writers are just being greedy and customers won't have it. When the prices fall, there will be greater adoption, but not until then.

One gets the feeling many would-be customers are waiting until this whole mess clears itself up and a genuine winner emerges before they start buying e-books. The wait has been a long one - e-books have been around for years, in one form or another, but no one has yet to come up with a rock solid device or format that everyone can agree on. Some books are available on Microsoft Reader but not other formats; some are available on the Adobe platform, but not others; and so on. Once you pick a platform, you're sort of stuck with whatever they happen to offer, unless you want to have several different e-book reader pieces of software running on your machine.

But, back to the Kindle 2. First thing to note is that international buyers can now buy one but international users only buy the model with a 6-inch screen, but not the 9.7-inch screen - what's up with that? There's a heck of a price difference though: $259 (8,650 baht) as opposed to $489 (16,332 baht).

At just over 1/3 of an inch in width, the Kindle 2 is as thin as most magazines, and weighs just 10.2 ounces, which is less than a typical paperback.

One thing that may give the Kindle 2 an edge is that it's wireless and can automatically download content. You don't need a wireless service provider at all, but you do need to be in the coverage area (I believe Thailand is although you'll have to look at the information yourself and make a decision). It prefers wireless 3G, but can handle EDGE networks, apparently (and Thailand has EDGE). Be sure to check their coverage map before signing up.

The library can hold up to 1,500 books, it says, and some of the titles can even be read to you with the text-to-speech function. You can "read for days" without recharging the battery.

If you're thinking about buying a Kindle, it behooves you to bring up the Kindle page on Amazon.com and scroll down and read through the user comments. You'll a great deal to think about, both negative and positive.

Barnes & Noble's new e-book reader is called the Nook and is selling for $259 (8,650 baht).

"Billed as the first Android-powered e-book reader, [The Nook] features not only a 6-inch E-ink screen but a colour touch screen that allows you to navigate content and also can turn into a virtual keyboard for searches. At launch, no separate Android apps will run on the device, but Barnes & Noble says that one of the reasons it chose Android to power the Nook is because it's an open platform with a large developer community and that future apps are a possibility."

The Nook has built-in wireless; it says it uses 3G but "AT&T is the carrier" so the Nook may be for US residents only.

Progress is being made in the e-book world, but I'm still holding out for something that's more of a sure thing.

Relate Search: The Nook, Barnes & Noble, Microsoft Reader, digital rights management, Android-powered e-book reader