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Sunday 16 November 2014

E-Reader

E-readers are handheld devices that allow you to read digital books downloaded from the internet.

They use an electronic paper display which, rather than emitting light like a computer screen, reflects it, like paper. This allows it to be read even in direct sunlight.

The Rocket eBook was the first commercial e-reader. Produced by NuvoMedia in late 1998; it used a LCD screen and could store up to ten e-books. It had a retail price of $499. Several others were introduced in the late 1990s, but did not gain widespread acceptance.

The Amazon Kindle was released on November 19, 2007 for US$399. It sold out in five and a half hours. The device remained out of stock for five months until late April 2008.

Paperwhite showing the copyright-free Alice in Wonderland. By User:Frmorrison, 

By 2011 Amazon was selling almost 2.5 e-books to be read on its Kindle for every one hard copy.

While an average paperback novel weighs 300g, devices such as the Kindle and Sony’s Reader weigh almost half as much.

A full 4GB Kindle, stocked with 3,500 books, weighs 0.00000000000000001g more than an empty one - because of the energy created in storing data in electrons within the device as content is added.


The Navy e-Reader Device, for use aboard US Navy Submarines, is pre-loaded with Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings books.

Publishers of erotic fiction have credited e-readers with boosting sales, as no-one can see what you are reading.

Ebooks cannot be lent or resold because buyers do not purchase the eBook itself; instead, they purchase a license to access and view the eBook's contents. This license agreement typically restricts the buyer's rights to the eBook, including the ability to lend or resell it.

Texts more than 70 years old, and thus out of copyright, can be downloaded for free from Project Gutenberg.

Source Daily Mail

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