E-reader Apologetics

With the latest reviews of the B&N nook, I’m struck again by how many people just don’t seem to get e-readers. They think e-readers are redundant because of some other more commonly owned gadget, or on the flip side they can’t stand the idea of letting technology replace their beloved books.

The Impatient Gadgeteer

Every time I see some reviewer or commenter saying “oh I’ll just use my netbook”, “I can do that on my cell phone”, “you can’t read them in the dark”, or “the Apple tablet will be much better”, I think to myself “you just don’t get it.”

People who like to read for long periods of time often find their eyes getting fatigued if they stare at a backlit display for hours on end. In addition, most portable backlit devices will go through their charge in a few hours if the screen is constantly lit. Most other devices have screen size issues as well: they’re either too large to hold comfortably, or too small to use conveniently because you’re left paging almost constantly.

E-readers aim to mimic paper books in a few key ways:

• A screen that is NOT backlit, but uses reflected light just like a paper page
• A form factor that is close to a traditional paperback in terms of weight and height/width. They’re easy to hold for long periods of time, but display enough text so paging doesn’t get annoying.
• Battery life that is measured in terms of DAYS not hours, even when used constantly.
• No heat or noise. Having a device that is almost perfectly quiet, has no whirring fans, and doesn’t get hot as the battery or display are used for longer periods of time is wonderful.

If you read for any length of time these benefits are very compelling, and offer a significant advantage that there’s just no way current laptops, netbooks or cell phones can match.

I’m a fan of all these devices too, but the fundamental strengths of an e-reader make putting up with the (in comparison) sluggish e-ink display tolerable, and even quite enjoyable, because as you relax into reading on it, the device effectively “disappears” as you lose yourself in your book.

Try reading one thing for a long period of time with whatever device you think is better than an e-reader. Oh, and 20 to 30 minutes does NOT count as a long time. Try an hour or more. Maybe 2. Then perhaps you’ll start to see why we might want an e-reader.

It seems lots of people are loathe to admit they don’t really read for long periods of time, and perhaps that’s true for you too?

The Book Fondler

Unlike the Impatient Gadgeteer, the Book Fondler is loathe to give up his or her precious books. They’ll talk about not wanting to lose the look, feel, or even smell of paper books. I love all those things about physical books too, but it’s a perk, a diversion.

Think about the last time you discussed a book with a friend, or lent it to someone: did you say things like “Keep this book for a few days, the cover feels so lovely”, or “Just wait until you stick your nose in this”? No, you talked about the content of the book: the plot and characters for fiction, or the ideas and opinions of a non-fiction book. You didn’t loan it to them to sniff it, you loaned it to them to read it, to dive into the words and ideas contained in it. The other sensory inputs were adjuncts to that core experience.

Book Fondlers like to say their books don’t need to be plugged in and so on, but e-readers’ gadgetry-heritage also gives them some expected advantages over books that really do add up:

• Lighter weight than most books, and no shelving required! Hundreds of books to choose from with no increase in what you carry.
• Ability to change font size on the fly. (My mom would have LOVED that: she was always starved for a good selection of large-print books)
• Easy lookup of unknown words (for most models)
• Instant gratification in the form of over-the-air book purchase and download
• Magazine and newspaper delivery to the same device

Individual models may have even more capabilities, but I’ve kept that list to the most significant advantages that are common to one or more of the most popular e-readers.

The next time you look at a room full of over-burdened book shelves, pick up the latest Stephen King tome (“Under the Dome” anyone?), are in a panic choosing how many books to bring with you on vacation, or are moving to a new home/apartment, maybe you can stop and think about what it’s like for the e-reader owner.

Just use your imagination

I can understand why someone would decide an e-reader isn’t for them: perhaps they rarely read for long periods of time. (I suspect this is true of most Impatient Gadgeteers who sneer at e-readers). Perhaps a Book Fondler doesn’t read quite as many books, or loves to read in gadget-hostile places like the beach, bathtubs etc. (although nothing says you can’t own an e-reader and still purchase the occasional book!). Whatever, I think it’s perfectly understandable if you make a personal decision like that.

What rubs me the wrong way is the condescending attitude that implies anyone buying an e-reader is a sucker or foolish. We’re not foolish, we just read, usually a LOT, and want a device that caters specifically to that. A device that gives us lots of technological advantages while preserving the apparent simplicity of a book that lets us get lost in its content.

I love my Kindle DX for these reasons, and am looking forward to my Nook coming soon. For people like me, e-readers are fantastic, and I have no regrets in using them instead of more traditional gadgetetry, or the more traditional book.

E-readers are the “hot” item this year for many good reasons: it’s time to stop dismissing them so quickly.