Ebooks - A Revolution In Reading

Technology continues to pervade our daily lives in new ways. The current generation of children probably cannot even fathom a household without at least one computer. They may have never seen a VHS videotape or an audio cassette. Rather than requesting a trip to the video store to rent a movie, they just download it or watch it streaming on a computer.

Now, even reading books has gone high-tech and digital. Is it possible that in another few years the thrill of opening up a brand new book and smelling the ink on the pages will be a thing of the past? Will large bookstores full of rows upon rows of shelves filled with books of all different sizes and colors simply cease to exist? It is not likely that the rise of the ebook will have such drastic consequences. It will, however, increase in popularity due in no small part to the incredible convenience afforded by ebooks.

In simple terms, an ebook is an electronic version of a book that can be read either online or on a special device that you can purchase and use to download and read ebooks. As with any new technology, there are upsides and downsides to ebooks. On the upside, the cost of purchasing an ebook for download is usually in the $10 range even for a brand new title. This is significantly less than purchasing the same book in a hard-cover edition at the bookstore. While not every single book is available in ebook form, most popular titles are with more being added every day.

In addition, the devices available for purchase on which you can read an ebook are slim and lightweight. They can easily be slipped into a carry-on bag for a flight or into a purse or briefcase to read on the commute to work. A busy mom can throw one into her diaper bag and have something to read while her baby naps in the stroller at the park.

For kids, who are becoming more and more dependent on technology, the advantages are clear. Many children are used to using a game console or an mp3 device. This is just one more technological gadget that they can add to their collection. They may even be compelled to take out the ebook reader instead of the game console and read something educational every once in a while. When they complete a book, they can simply download another right away, addressing today's growing demand for instant gratification.

Of course, there is also a downside, as mentioned earlier. The introduction of new technology usually means the phasing out of the older version. Audio tapes gave way to CDs, video tapes gave way to DVDs, palm-sized cell phones have replaced the giant clunkers that were attached to car's center consoles. In the same way, ebooks could replace regular printed books. They are environmentally friendly as they do not require any paper and they are more cost effective.

It will be up to the current generation of parents and grandparents to instill the love of actual printed books into their children and grandchildren. That way, there will be no doubt that the bookstores will continue to exist and the ebooks can be used to supplement people's collection of books but not to replace them.