I made the digital leap, so to speak, five years ago when I purchased my first MP3 player. The idea of ripping my CDs, storing them on my player and, essentially, carrying my entire music collection in my pocket was far from outlandish. Life-altering? Hardly. But I didn’t have to carry a black folder full of discs. E-books? Not so much.
They’ve been around for years and it seems as though companies and publishers continue to find the right market. And being both a reader and a gadget freak, I seem like the perfect candidate, the prime demographic for e-books. Yet, on one level, when it comes to books, I’m still stuck in the analog. Nothing like strolling through a bookstore or hounding the mailman for my Amazon box, holding the book in my hand, cracking it open and diving right into it. On another level, books, unlike music, for me anyway, require a dedicated time and space to enjoy, as opposed to the quick consumption of hearing my favorite song. In other words, when I read a book…I want to turn off the TV, brew a cup of coffee, pull a volume from my bookshelves and read a book.
But that’s just me. For others, e-books may very well be the perfect fit. And hey, here at altruistic bullsh*t, I’m all about helping my fellow writer-reader-gadget peddlers.
Now there are a number of e-readers on the market, Amazon’s Kindle being the most touted model. Since I’ve never used one (and spending $300 on one seems a bit much, even for me), I can’t speak on it. Here’s a CNet review if you’d like to learn more about the Kindle.
But! I do own an iPod Touch and in thinking, “what should I blog about today,” I remembered that a few months ago, I downloaded an e-reader from the App Store. I even remembered using the app.
From the pics below, there was nothing uncomfortable with the experience, the iPod Touch’s small screen (relative to reading a book) notwithstanding.
Stanza offers a broad selection of titles, from free classics courtesy of Project Gutenberg to more recent works which, of course, you’ll have to buy.
Oh and Stanza is free, so take it for a spin and, if you think it sucks, delete it and pretend it never existed.
I’m curious to hear your opinion. So…e-books? Good? Bad? Dope? Corny? Have you made the leap?
