with all the buzz about E Readers, I cannot resist putting in my two sense. I think E Readers are a wave of the future. Don't get me wrong, when I see a book by Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Piccoult at a yard sale, I scoop it right up, if it's under a dollar. Books are for sure the best bargains I find at yard sales and church rummage sales. However, when I travel, packing all those extra bulky books takes up alot of room. But, I love being able to swap my books with friends when I am done. So, do I support E readers? It depends. For me as an avid reader, I love the idea. I was given a Kindle by my loving fiancaille for Christmas. It is amazing. I can download hundreds of free books at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page . The new Kindle now supports PDF and TXT files and I can send personal documuents to my Kindle by either downloading them to my PC and using a USB cord to transfer or my using the Kindle's own wireless Whispernet and send it to my own personal Kindle's web address. The features are endless. My Kindle rocks! Do I suport them in schools or any E readers for that matter?........
YES! I think we need to strongly consider design before deciding if E Readers will work for all students. For example let's look at what Kiplinger's Magazine calls 'The Big Three'
Kindle
259
Books available – 400,000
Newspapers – 69, Magazines – 40, Blogs 7,000
Memory – 1,500 Books
Wireless Download – Yes
Battery Life – 7 days with wireless on: 14 without
Screen size 6’: Full size 8.0 X 5.3 X 0.4 inches
Nook
259
Books available – 1 million
Newspapers – 20, Magazines – 20, Blogs ???
Memory – 1,500 Books
Wireless Download – Yes
Battery Life – 2 days with wireless on: 10 without
Screen size 6’: Full size 7.7 X 4.9 X 0.5 inches
Reader
$299
Books available – 200,000
Newspapers & Magazines - ? , Blogs - dozens
Memory – 350 books
Wireless Download – No
Battery Life – 2 weeks without wireless
Screen size 6’: Full size 6.9 X 4.8 X 0.4 inches
If you visit each E Reader site, you can see all thier features. Although I understand the other E Readers have been developed as assistive technology for exceptional students, I think these E Readers may be a good supplement or replacement to textbooks, school books, and popular books for specific age groups. The process to acqurie and implement E Readers would be long, but I feel , worthwhile. I would chose the Kindle.
Other important features of the Kindle:
-Send personal PDF files to Kindle from home PC or MAC
-Read in sunlight with no glare
-Download magazines before they hit store shelve
-Manual flip screen to view in landscape or horizontal mode
-Travel the globe and download books anywhere
-Automatic library back-up
-Charge with USB or plug in to electrical outlet
-Full Image zoom
-Wireless access to Wikipedia
-Limited web browsing
-Free Kindle App or IPhone or PC
-Text to Speech with voice control options
-More options in the near future
Check out this link to see for yourself.
I think the initial steep price tag of the Kindle would be replaced with a high quality and effective E Reader.
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