Tech Tip: Embrace the E-Book
TECH TIP
EMBRACE THE E-BOOK
THE PROBLEM
Your back hurts from carrying around heavy textbooks, and you’re aware that you can buy them as e-books.
THE FIX
Discover how a digital reader differs from (and can even be better than) printed books.
HOW TO DO IT
Source: Fuse/Getty Images;
THE PROS
- Digital reading devices (e-readers) are portable—most weigh about a pound—and can hold thousands of books.
- With most e-readers, you can buy books online from anywhere or you can download them from the public library and start reading them within minutes.
- You can type notes in an e-book, highlight passages, or copy and paste sections.
- You can print out pages simply by connecting your device to your printer.
- Many e-readers even accept audiobooks and can read to you aloud.
- You can adjust the size of an e-book’s text, making it easier to read.
- Some e-readers link directly to a built-in dictionary. Just highlight a word, and the device will look it up. Others will also link to reference Web sites like Google or Wikipedia when a Wi-Fi or 4G connection is available.
- E-books are searchable and even sharable.
THE CONS
- Digital reading devices are expensive.
- Unlike books, they can break if you drop them.
- It’s harder to flip through pages of an e-book than of a printed book.
Source: © Nikolai Golovanoff/Corbis
GOOD TO KNOW
The most popular e-readers are the iPad, the Kindle, the Nook, and the Kobo Touch. Each comes in several different versions. Basic models are designed to replicate the experience of reading a paper book. More expensive models offer touch color screens, Web browsers, video, music, and thousands of free and for-purchase apps.