On The Horizon...

Lately I have been pondering the thought about the future of books and media. Are we approaching a day where everything will be digital? Our music has become mp3's, our television and movies are downloadable. Furthermore, our books are now available in a concise, cheap, digital format. But are eBooks the way of the future? Will they ultimately stop producing paperback bound books?

Last March I gave in to temptation and ordered a Kindle from Amazon. For those of you who are still unaware of what this amazing device is, I suggest checking it out (www.amazon.com/kindle). For those of you who are aware of what a Kindle is, you will know that it is a device you can download eBooks onto and read. This device has made paperback bound books a thing of the past for me.

Kindle has had a few weaknesses, but all-in-all, for me, it has far more strengths. The price is reasonable, and ultimately pays for itself after you think of book prices. Also, the price of the books is excellent too. For a brand new, New York Times Bestseller, the price is typically $9.99. For years I had been paying far more than that for brand new books.

The Kindle is convenient for readers, and can accommodate to almost any reader's needs. The screen is revolutionized with "ink technology." This makes the print seem more like ink on a page, rather than a computer screen, that resets everytime you turn the page. If you have a hard time reading small print, then you can increase the size of the font to make your reading experience comfortable for you. It is a lightweight device that can hold approximately 1500 titles. I like to tell people that I can carry an entire library of books in about the size of one paperback book.

Since I have had my Kindle for 6 months, I could go on and on about all the great things about it. I was a non-believer at one point in my life, but the new technology sucked me in, and got me to give it a chance. There are still a few people who claim to love the smell of musty paper in old books, enjoy the feel of a book in their hand, cornering the pages to keep their spot. There is nothing stating that Kindle users can't still own books.

I highly recommend that book lovers test out an eBook reader for themselves and see what they think. With every other form of media going digital, it's only a matter of time before books are mostly in digital form as well.