This holiday season, book lovers out there are likely praying that they get either the book they have long been looking for, or gift certificates they can spend at any bookstore.
While many book lovers feel that nothing compares to reading a physical book, there are many bibliophiles out there who prefer to avoid the clutter of keeping already-read books and choose to go digital through a really good e-book reader. The printed and digital books have their own benefits, so let’s not pit the two against each other.
Aside from getting rid of the clutter of old books, one other advantage of having an e-book reader is the “instant delivery.” Often, you have to wait for weeks, even months, for the book ordered online (then there’s the Customs issues). With e-readers, once you’ve paid for the title, you’ll have the book within minutes.
Some readers love to highlight passages in a book. E-readers allow highlighting and it is so easy to find the page where an inspiring quote was highlighted.
There are many e-readers right now but we’ll list the three most popular ones.
1. Kindle
Kindle has evolved from just one basic e-reader introduced in 2007 into a series of e-readers classified according to the type of “paper” or screen resolution or the size of the screen. Today, the device does more than ebooks, with support for magazines and newspapers as well. In October, Amazon introduced a waterproof Kindle that is also lighter and thinner compared to its predecessors. The new 2018 Kindle Paperwhite follows the lead of the more expensive Kindle Oasis from last year. There is a long list of the different Kindles available in the market today. There’s a Kindle with Wi-Fi and supports 4G and there’s a Kindle that has Bluetooth. The price differs and if the giver is feeling generous, Oasis costs about
USD 300, which is the most premium offering from Amazon at the moment.
2. NOOK
If you are a fan of American publisher and book retailer Barnes and Noble (B&N), then you’ve got to have the NOOK, which is designed around Google’s Android platform. It started as a basic electronic reading device with basic touchscreen functions. Today, some of its variations have colored LCDs. The B&N GlowLight series allows users to read with a white light on during the daytime, and a special Night Mode, which provides “a warmer tone for perfect bedtime reading.” The B&N GlowLight Plus is also waterproof and boasts of an 8.5GB storage, which can store thousands of books. NOOK readers sell from around USD140 to USD260.
3. Kobo
Toronto-based Kobo has a noble idea of providing ebooks at a much lower price compared to first two. Kobo, from the word “book” evolved from just a reading service by bookstore Indigo Books and Music to an e-reading device. Japanese company Rakuten acquired Kobo in 2016. There is now a line of Kobo readers that feature e-paper screens. Its most basic product is Kobo Touch, and then there’s the smaller size, which is good for traveling called Kobo Mini. The Kobo Glo has an illuminated screen good for nighttime reading. The pricier ones include Kobo Aura; the Kobo Aura HD and Kobo Aura H2O, which is waterproof. Kobo is locally available and sells for around PHP 10,000.
Ultimately, e-readers are book-lovers’ perfect companion when traveling. It’s light and compact even if you are reading “War and Peace” or the unabridged version of “Les Miserables.” The only downside, perhaps, is just like any electronic devices, it needs to be charged every so often. Book hoarders not worry about the clutter because these e-readers can keep their books even if they number to thousands.
Words by Marlet D. Salazar
Art by Jael Mendoza
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE December 2018-January 2019 Issue