There's no doubt that eBook readers are a growing trend. Two years ago, this weird electronic device didn't even exist and now it seems like every other day, some company is coming out with its own eBook reader. But when you take a closer look at this product, you can see that, like any other electric device that came out in the last few years (iPod, PDA's, mobile phones), it has its weaknesses and still has to undergo changes in order to be complete.
When I look at the eBook reader market today, I notice several issues that need to be resolved:
1. Screen size - Most eBook readers have a relatively small screen size (six inches) which, as a result, makes you turn pages every other minute. Since the eInk technology is still considered new, it takes a few seconds for the page to turn. Therefore, the whole flow of reading slows down and the battery gets drained faster. If there was a larger size eBook reader at a reasonable price (The iLiad has a perfect screen size, but costs $300 more than the competition.), this could solve at least 70% of this problem.
2. Availability - The two most popular eBook readers today (the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony PRS-700) are still not available for customers outside the U.S. This is a shame since there is a real demand throughout the world for eBook readers.
3. Compatibility - It seems that there is no real solution yet for reading PDFs on eBook reader. The only eReader that comes close is the Amazon Kindle 2, but you still have to convert the files into Kindle format. This process isn't that complicated, but can be annoying sometimes. Furthermore, if the PDF contains images, they usually don't come out right.
4. Colors - Like every other gadget alive, the time when eReaders can display color will ultimately arrive. It's only a question of time.
5. Price - Today, because of this new technology, the price of eBook readers is still relatively high. Hopefully in a few years, eBook readers will cost around $200.
So, there you have it. As you can see, today's eReaders are far from being perfect (that is why none of them get a five-star rating on our site). With that said, they still present a major leap in technology and make the eBook reading experience much more enjoyable and practical. Sure, they have their issues, but what electrical gadget doesn’t.
