I have been a fan of ebooks since Fictionwise Bookstore first opened. I have used a variety of devices to read my ebooks and have used various software to read. Hie, RocketBook, and the Franklin eBook Reader are all dedicated ebook readers. Their only purpose is for reading ebooks. Each one had a proprietary reading software and the RocketBook (formerly owned by GEM) had its own bookstore and online library (now defunct.) Each dedicated reader promised a new and wonderful reading experience. They all had batteries that needed recharging and required being attached to a computer in order to download and load books onto the device. The readers would allow you to place bookmarks but except for not so impressive games and PIM like functions on the Hie, they were readers. For anything else you had to have a separate device. Unfortunately, these devices, although good at what they were designed for, were not good for “light” reading. They were fairly heavy (falling asleep while reading could result in a heck of a bruise) and were bulky to hold. You could indeed carry an entire library with you in one of the readers but woe unto you if the battery power started dying in an exciting place in the book.
I wound up putting each of the dedicated readers aside in favor of my handheld of the moment. My Palm OS devices allowed me to read books using a variety of programs including eReader(formerly Peanut Reader), Plucker, MobiPocket, Silo, Microsoft Reader, Adobe ebook reader, and TomeRaider 3. Each one was able to read most unencrypted or “MultiFormat” books. Most of these books are not tied to a specific reading program and if you so desire you can download the books in a variety of formats. However, there have also been books that are heavily encrypted with DRM(digital rights management software) and are tied to a specific program. Once you buy that book in that format, you can only read the book using that program. The three used most often are MobiPocket, eReader and Microsoft Reader. Some ebooks are only found in Adobe PDF format which is a huge download on my handheld and a pain to read. Not all PDF documents and books can easily be read on a handheld and so I avoid buying Adobe only books whenever I am aware that is the only choice.
I have read ebooks and downloaded magazine articles while waiting in Court for my case to be called for hearing, while waiting for clients, while waiting for doctor’s appointments, on trains, planes, and in automobiles. I can switch to my address book, calendar or other necessary program quickly and back to my book. Turning my handheld off to try a case never meant losing my place since the programs can be set to open to the last page you were reading. On several occasions, I would have a book open in each format and switch back and forth depending on my mood. Since each program remembered my last page in whichever book I was reading, I never had to worry about misplacing the book or my bookmark. Since I have over 1,000 ebooks total from a variety of ebook stores on the internet, I have a wide range of topics and titles from which to choose. I refuse to buy ebooks that cost over $10 since I know that I could probably find a used or on sale hardback for less. Bookstores that charge ridiculous sums for ebooks are only hurting themselves and the authors.
I love ebooks and the ease with which I can read them on whatever little machine I have with me. Since I don’t need to turn on a light to read, I also don’t wake my partner up when I have insomnia and get up in the middle of the night to read. I don’t have to have special lights for reading.
