E-readers are devices used to display digital books, newspapers, and magazines. They are smaller in size and sometimes are compared to tablets or iPad. E-readers offer other functions like Internet connectivity and high-end functionalities.
Like all the devices, weigh the pros and cons of buying e-readers for your constant knowledge collection on the go.
Pros:
1. Cheap: New releases of e-books are much cheaper compared to the traditional books. You can easily buy a new book once it is launched in the market at low cost.
2. Free Classic novels: You can have access to classic novels in the public domain for free. Other non-classical books can be accessed for free from the Kindle.
3. Store more books: E-readers are suitable for bookworms since it can store thousands of books for both students and other uses.
4. Convenient: You can download books any time and from anywhere. This makes e-readers easy to use and convenient for students, travelers and anyone on the go.
5. Portability: E-reader devices are portable making them lighter to carry around compared to the traditional books.
6. Search content: You can easily search for specific elements in the text and quickly access it compared to traditional books.
7. Distribution: Authors use e-readers as the best alternative to publish and distribute their content to users across the world.
8. Better reading: You can underline and takes notes which can later be exported to create a personalized resume of the books you have read.
9. Discretion: It allows you to read steamy books like fifty shades of grey series in public without worrying someone may know what you’re reading.
10. Gain on space: E-readers helps you store a variety of books compared to having tons of paper books. There are also free programs which help you keep an organized library like a pro.
Cons:
1. Technical issues: Just like any other electronic device, you can experience hardware or software failure with the e-reader device. Sometimes the device freeze up making it difficult to access your own library.
2. Battery life: E-readers need to be recharged more often to keep reading and this may bring inconvenience if you want to read at the beach.
3. Sharing issues: Loaning books via e-readers is an issue especially for those used to sharing they’re reading material. There are apps that allow you to lend your e-books but their limited in terms of time and lending periods.
4. Cost: There is a high cost of obtaining an e-reader device and maintenance cost.
5. Access to library content: There are few e-readers which allow the users to access the library content.
6. No autographs: It cannot be autographed by the author unlike the copies of the first edition which are mostly autographed during the book review or launch.
7. Difficult to skim: One advantage of reading traditional books is skimming through the book to know what’s in the content but this becomes difficult when using e-readers.
8. No real book: If you love the feeling of reading a real book, turn the pages as you hold the book then e-readers are not for you.
9. Decoration: Even though the Kindle books can be stored in your library, you will never bond with them like a traditional book stored on a shelf. The traditional book can catch up your eye making you reread it later whenever you like.
10. E-book formats: E-readers don’t accept all e-books format thus purchasing an e-book with the wrong format will cost since you will not be able to open it via the e-reader device.
