28 Sep

Why is the E-reader so popular?

Book-worms no longer need to worry about which of their favourite novels to take on holiday with them thanks to the revolutionary e-reader device. The compact digital screen, acts as a virtual book, storing hundreds of texts, as well as having the capacity to store video and music.

But do e-readers suit everyone? Have the manufacturers considered visual accessibility, or have they considered the fact that technology can't always re-create the satisfaction of physically holding a book and turning its pages? The compact tablet computer is specifically designed to read virtual books, magazines and newspapers on. Basic models of the e-reader allow the user to store a few books but they have limited visual adaptation settings.

In some situations, the user may need to change the settings, for example, attempting to read an ebook in the sunshine can be difficult due to the glare which is reflected off the screen. Therefore, by changing the brightness settings or altering the contrast to a black background with white writing, may aid the reader.

On the other hand, newer versions of the e-reader come fully equipped with visual settings, a large memory capacity, a glare free screen and even WIFI so the user can browse the internet, read newspapers, magazines or just play games like Partypoker and download new books online. It is perfect for those who are into their gadgets, because they can also watch movies or listen to music on their e-reader.

However, for those who love the sensation of physically holding a smooth hardback book and turning its crisp pages, may not enjoy using the e-reader. The Amazon Kindle, released in 2007, has many convenient applications, allowing the reader to customise their device. They can add interactive content to their book, such as bookmarks, highlighting sections and notes can be added to pages, plus there is a built-in dictionary to consult.

For those who want to increase the size of their text, there are very few e-readers which have a smart fit application. Regardless of the text being able to increase to font 20, the user has to scroll back and forth with each sentence which causes much inconvenience. Those which do offer a smart fit application, do not allow the font to be increased past a certain size.