by FoursX2

I. INTRODUCTION

In case you weren’t aware (as in living on another planet), eBooks are books written in electronic form. They are designed to be read not only be your computer, but also by a variety of portable devices generally known as Readers. When loaded into a computer which is attached to a printer, eBooks can also be printed and read just like any other book. Of course printing out an eBook pretty much defeats the idea of reading the work electronically.

Although they have been around for quite awhile (as have books on tape and books on CD) it has taken them a long time to go mainstream. Part of the delay has been the slowness with which the hardware has developed. Portable Readers needed to be small enough (pocket book size is a good thing) and light enough to be truly portable. Their screens had to be bright enough to be read outside in the daylight and they had to have enough storage to hold more than one book. And, have the capability of reading more than one file format. Until very recently any given Reader might include some of these attributes, but not all of them. Moreover, the available Readers were expensive to say the least.

A purchase price of one or two dollars for an eBook is enticing, but not when the Reader had a one or two hour battery life, was hard to read in the daylight, and cost between $500.00 and $1,000.00.

II. THE ADVANTAGES OF eBOOKS

eBooks have certain clear advantages over traditional printed books:

A. The Cost Is Insignificant:

(1.) The typical eBook usually costs only a very small fraction of its printed counterpart. Why because copying a computer file doesn’t have a cost whereas each printed book brings with it a materials and labor cost. An MBA might say that "data is infinitely divisible," meaning a copy carries with it no incremental cost.

(2.) eBooks downloaded from the internet (at the present time) don’t carry with them a charge for sales tax. This is because nothing "tangible" has been delivered.

(3) eBooks can be sold from a stand-alone website. No mailing operation is needed, no warehouse is needed to store inventory and no employ has to be hired to answer the telephone. In short, there is no brick and mortar business overhead.

(4) A lot of the classics and other works (for which the copyright has expired) have been converted to eBooks and are available as free downloads.

B. The Medium Is Capable of Delivering a Tremendous Amount of Information:

(1) Of course images can be embedded in the text.

(2) Words, phrases or sentences can be linked to attached files, or definitions contained in the same file. This linkage of text to text is called hypertext. Using a hypertext link the user "clicks" or "touches" the link causing a jump to another reference, definition or explanation.

(3) If the eReader has an internet connection, then in a fashion similar to hypertext, a hyperlink can be created which will take the reader from the text he is reading and drop him off at a website. This instantaneous connection to the net massively extends the reader’s world. Footnotes and endnotes suddenly become a magic carpet ride to other locations.

(4) Hyperlinks aren’t limited to text or images on another website. If the Reader is capable, the reader can be transported to audio/video sources. The experience is much like reading this blog and clicking on a hyperlink which takes you out into the internet..

(5) Numerous books can be stored on a single Reader, and as touch screens become more available words and phrases can be highlighted and notes entered concerning concepts or issues. Instead of highlighting a $45.00, 300 page college text and scribbling notes in the margins a student will soon be able to buy the text in eBook format and load it into his Reader. And around the equivalent of 30 pounds of books in a single small device.

(6) Some computers can be instructed to read you the eBook using the voice of your choice.

(7) eBooks can even be loaded into your Palm cell phone or iPhone allowing you to use your phone as an Reader.

III. SOME OF THE eBOOK FILE FORMATS

Computer file names usually have two components. The file name and the file extension. For example, "eBooks Are Great.pdf" has a file name of "eBooks Are Great" and a file extension of pdf (portable document format). In a general sense it’s the file extension which tells you the file format you are dealing with.

(1) The pdf file format was originally developed by Adobe Systems. Files created by almost any software can be converted to a pdf format and read by Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free program made available to anyone. The pdf format might be considered a universal format. Most wordprocessing programs now have the capability of exporting a file to pdf format.

(2) eReader software can be used to convert ASCII text to .pml (palm markup language). Once edited, the pml is converted to a .pdb (palm database) format. eBooks in pdb can be read on a large number of devices including cell phones using the Palm OS, iPhones, Pocket PCs, windows based and Macintosh based computers, etc.

(3) The lit file format (lit stands for literature) is a file format which can be read using the Microsoft Reader software program. lit files can be created using the MS Word wordprocessor.

IV. A FEW OF THE AVAILABLE PORTABLE READERS

Remember, you don’t necessarily need a portable reader to view an eBook. A regular laptop or desktop computer, either PC or MAC will work just fine.

(1) The Amazon Kindle reader has wireless connectivity which allows you to shop the Amazon Store without the necessity of first connecting to a compatible computer. Using this technology, if you buy a book it’s automatically delivered electronically.

Amazon reports that more than 215,000 compatible eBooks are available, including more than 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers. At 10.3 ounces, the Kindle is as light or lighter

and thinner than a typical paperback. The Kindle will hold over 200 titles. With the wireless working continuously, the device will require recharging about every other day. With the wireless feature turned off, it will require recharging about once a week. Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) can be emailed to Kindle for viewing.

The Kindle has a full QWERTY keyboard, a built-in dictionary and the ability to add bookmarks and annotations.

(2) The Sony Reader Digital Book has a built-in LED reading light, a six-inch touch screen display, and E-ink screen technology for both indoor and outdoor viewing. The PRS-700BC model is said to hold about 350 books! (Additional removable memory cards also available)

The Sony PRS-700BC device has search, annotation, and highlighting capabilities, adjustable text size, is good for 7,500 pages of reading on a single charge. Multiple file formats (pdf, jpeg, RTF, etc.) are also supported including MP3s and AAC audio files. The unit can connect with the internet through a compatible PC.

(3) With the appropriate software installed (like eReader mentioned above) a myriad of the newer 3G cell phones (like the Palm phones) can be used as convenient eBook readers.

(4) By downloading the latest version of Mobipocket eBook Reader you can convert your Blackberry to an eBook reader.

(5) The iPhone has been reported by Forbes to currently be the most popular eBook reader. The iPhone may be used as a reader by downloading the Stanza software.

If you download Stanza from the iTunes App Store, along with it will come a desktop component for Mac or PC that can be used to turn your existing e-book collection into a format that Stanza can read and display on your iPhone. Importing your existing e-books, whether they're in text, PDF, or some other proprietary format, takes moments.

As you can see the revolution is well underway.