By Katherine Hall-Lapinski
The book world and the technology world are beginning to merge as people’s interest in both become more avid.
Zoe Chaykin, an owner of the Kindle, tells us that she was against it at first, but shortly after getting it, she realized how convenient it was, especially after the closing of the local Barnes & Noble.
Released by Amazon in 2007, the Kindle was the first electronic reader to gain overwhelming popularity. Soon after, in 2009, Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook. Both of these devices are portable, handheld and offer access to a nearly infinite number of books.
When the Kindle and Nook first came out, they both had high prices, but over the last six months these costs have come down and stabilized. Kindle prices range from $139 to $379, and Nook charges go from $149 to $199. These prices depend on size, features and 3G or Wi-Fi access.
When sharing some pros and cons about the Kindle, Zoe said, “An advantage is that it saves paper, and if you have a 3G edition, you can purchase books without having a wireless connection. The only part I dislike about the Kindle is trying to locate an exact page. What makes it tricky is that there are no page numbers. To know how far into the book you are, there is a tab at the bottom of the screen that shows the percentage you have read.”
Hannah, an owner of the Nook, reported that she loves reading on her Nook before bed, but the bright light does not settle her eyes before going to sleep.
“The book prices on my Nook are so much lower than those of actual books. This is very nice, especially after spending so much money to purchase the device.”
There are many advantages and disadvantages to electronic books. For those who read books, newspapers and magazines on a daily basis, an e-book device would definitely mean that there would be far less papers cluttering their homes and book bags.
The Kindle holds 3,500 books, has a built-in dictionary and a long-lasting battery charge, offers samples of books and various text sizes and fonts, and features best sellers. The Nook shares some of these features and also shows book covers in color, a nice and lively touch.
These are all great conveniences and are especially helpful for traveling, but some find their e-book devices cumbersome because of the constant clicking of buttons, instead of the usual and very familiar dog-earring and turning of pages.
Also, the act of reading a book is a comfort to many people, so reading on an electronic device would take the entire point away. Those who see themselves as being clumsy at times may worry about dropping the valuable device.
According to a BISG (Book Industry Study Group) survey, e-book purchases have rapidly increased from 2009-2010 and have gone from taking up 1.5 percent of total book sales to 5 percent. When asked if she could imagine a world in which books have become obsolete, Zoe replied, “Yes, I can see that happening because technology is becoming a larger part of our daily lives and is beginning to make common things seem primitive.”
Katherine Hall-Lapinski, 13, is an eighth-grader at Stevens Cooperative School in Hoboken. Morristown is one of her favorite places, and she looks forward to her family moving here soon. She is a member of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown and a student at Morristown Tae Kwon Do. She’s an avid reader and was curious about how e-books will affect that hobby. This article first appeared in The Purple Doors, a publication produced by Stevens’ eighth-graders.
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