Erato here.
Jane at Dear Author asked the question; What do readers want in terms of hardware for a perfect reading device? Several have responded with the standard, ease of reading, good screen, ability for annotations. But some have noted the inability to read all formats available on one Reader. Evidently, some cannot read PDF, which has been a fairly standard format for a long time now, or the formats are not interchangeable.
Much has been discussed recently about eReaders with the release of Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader Digital Book as it’s shown on their website along with several other models available. There are pros and cons aplenty, both from the publishing market but also from the reader’s point of view. Many publishers are branching into the eBook format because the overhead is less and the profit margin of course, higher. Some see it as the wave of the future.
The average reader sees it as a way to build a library in a limited amount of space then carry that library with them wherever they go. The Kindle allows immediate download from Amazon directly to the device. Others must download to your computer and then to the eReader. I’ve read a huge list of reasons why they feel this is preferable to books. But I’m just not convinced.
I tossed my two cents into the ring, and some of my comments you’ll read in the remainder of my post. These are just my personal thoughts on eReaders, of course not everyone feels the same way I do. If you want a good sampling of what others want, I encourage you to read Jane’s post at Dear Author. It’s an interesting commentary on technological progress.
What do I want in an electronic reader...hmmm...I want it to be reader friendly. I want the ability to see the cover in the blink of an eye if I want, to flip to different pages and look something up immediately, to be able to take notes, highlight wonderful passages where the author's words moved me. I want to grasp it, wring it, as I read the exciting finish to a great conflict. I want to be able to tell my friends, ‘sure, I can let you read that story! You'll love this author!’ I want it portable, lightweight, a battery that never dies, especially at the best part of the story, waterproof, drop proof, puppy proof (well, on that, let’s say rather…easily and inexpensively replaceable).
In short, I want a book!
A paper book, with a front and back cover and a spine that catches my eye when I pass my bookshelf. I want to read that book, smoothing the pages as I go along, simply for the tactile experience of holding someone's words in my hands. Words they spent hours of their life creating for me. I want to fan the pages as I read because I'm anxious that the H/Hn are in trouble and wondering how they'll get out of it. To be able to go back through to a spot I've dog-eared and flip back and forth to make sure I have something right, to curl the pages a bit if I need to, just enough so I can see the two, side by side, but without ruining the paper. To highlight a particularly awesome line, or phrase or paragraph and then later on, like a flip-book, run my finger along the outside edge of the pages and find it almost immediately. I want to hand that book to my friend and watch as they turn it over, flip through it while I laud the promises it holds. I want to look at my bookshelf with its thousand books and remember that I've read and enjoyed every one of them and have probably taken to the used bookstore at least as many that I did not. But maybe someone else will.
I want to go back and reread a dozen times, a book I particularly love and watch as it takes on the characteristics of a well cherished read. Softer pages, a bit more wear and tear every time I open it, perhaps a bit of coffee here or juice there because let’s face it, we all have that special corner where we curl up in our pillows or favorite chair, drink and maybe snack alongside, prepared for the long haul of reading cover to cover non-stop.
I want to know that, should I be so frustrated with a story,
so incensed to find it isn’t what I’d hoped, that the hero has turned into an
overbearing pig and the heroine into a TSTL even I want to kill, I can throw it
against the wall with little fear that it will shatter into a hundred pieces.
I don't suppose I'll ever be an eReader. I can see the
benefits if someone travels constantly. Who wants to carry twenty books on the
plane/train/bus/boat with them? But for me at least, there will never be an
experience like crying over the ending of a good book and watching your tears
fall on those pages only to soak into the paper, making me a true part of the
book.
Somehow, watching my tears roll off an eReader screen to fall in my lap doesn't hold the same meaning or importance for me.
