Thursday, October 20, 2011

Searching every "Nook" and cranny to find "Kindle" for a "Fire"

If you haven't already purchased an e-reader you are probably just trying to decide between the ever increasing  models available. Should you get the Nook Color or the Kindle Fire? There are pros and cons to each, and you're more than likely to be happy with either one, so just get one already and start enjoying all the features you're missing! Some of the obvious useful features available to both are the ability to touch a word you are not familiar with and see it defined instantly, and the ability to access the internet as a wireless device. Throw away your reading light as they are back-lit and you can adjust the screen for reading at anytime of the day. Plug in headphones and enjoy your music to block out the noisy TV that others around you waste their brain on while you enlighten yourself reading. Books are cheaper to purchase with e-readers and you literally have hundreds available to you for free! And if you travel you don't have to decide between which books you'll take, you can take them all with you in the palm of your hand!

But perhaps the most exciting thing to talk about e-readers is what is to come. Think of the possibilities, the many different ways that technology can make the reading experience both more efficient and more enjoyable. If you didn't know already, Kindle has recently introduced Kindlegraph in which you can request an author to digitally sign your book and have it appear instantly on your e-reader! (I can sign a copy of my book for you here http://kindlegraph.com/authors/DaxMTucker)

Let's take this a step further, as we consider how e-readers have the potential to connect authors with their readers. It's ironic that digital electronic communication, a medium most feel is impersonal, will actual allow us to interact with our favorite authors in a way that wasn't possible before. With more efficient communication available, authors will be better able to understand what their readers enjoy about their books, and readers will feel a stronger connection to their favorite authors. For example, authors could insert interactive links in their books that take them to websites that have bios on characters, or side-stories, if they are interested in learning more about the world and characters the author has created. You obviously can't do that with paper books. This mutual beneficial scenario may lead to authors writing books that speak even stronger to the minds of their readers, and this may in turn influence more people to be interested in reading. Ultimately e-readers may be the beginning of a more enlightened world!

1 comment:

  1. I haven't purchased an e-reader. I download straight to my laptop from Amazon for e-books. I want to wait for the market to shake out a little more (and prices to come down more than they have). Eventually I'll buy an e-reader and I agree, it opens up many possibilities not available with print alone.

    Nice blog and congratulations on getting over 1200 views. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete