The future of reading?

by Lizzie Houghton

The iPod of the book world has 'kindled' a lot of interest in America since it went on sale last year. It was so popular, we wrote an article about it, (see Copycatcher 21st November 2007).

The Amazon Kindle is a storage device which can hold around 200 books, as well as a few newspapers, blogs and some handy information from the ever-expanding Wikipedia. Its 'paper- like' screen displays ink particles electronically and reflects light like ordinary paper, so in theory it is just like reading a normal book. This has been particularly popular with older people who can adjust the size of the words on the screen, making them easier to read.

A bit like an iPhone, which allows users to download music through a free wireless connection to iTunes, the Kindle lets people download their favourite novels directly from Amazon without the need for computers and cables. It is said to be ready to do for the publishing industry what the ipod did for recorded music.

UK buyers eager to get their hands on one are bidding for the devices on eBay, to the tune of around £240. Buying an American device has its

  The kindleThe Kindle
The Amazon Kindle

draw backs. As the UK site has not yet been set up only titles published in the US are available, and you'll find yourself reading The New York Times instead of The Times.

The British version should be on the market by the end of this year at around £180, slightly cheaper than eBay. The cost of downloading books will probably be around £5, a saving on the typical paperback price of about £7.99.

The trade in electronic books  - or ebooks - is growing fast. The International Digital Publishing Forum, a trade group for ebook sellers, says that sales have risen by 59% since last year. Many publishers, including Harlequin Enterprises, the world's biggest romance publisher, have started making all the titles available electronically as well as on paper. In Japan all of Harlequin's ebooks are sold directly to mobile phones.

In the 15th Century, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. It meant books no longer had to be handwritten and were no longer expensive and rare. He is credited with making reading available to everyone. Will the Amazon Kindle kindle its own reading revolution? Will it eliminate the need for printed books? If you think it will, is it going to be a change for the better?

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