I’ve long used handheld devices for reading on. In around 2000 it was my Newton or my Handspring Visor.
These days it’s my iPod touch, which is super-convenient for reading in bed. It’s easier to hold than a paper book, not so heavy, and probably better for my eyes because it has its own backlight. Somehow whenever I read a book in bed the actual page is shaded.
I’m not alone either. While the Kindle is apparently very popular, many people are turning to smartphones for reading ebooks:
A survey shows that ebook usage on smartphones jumped an impressive 300% in the four months from April to July 2009. …
The interesting thing here is that, because Flurry measures actual usage of the smartphone apps rather than just downloads, it’s a solid indication that iPhone, Android and other smartphone users are not only downloading these ebook reader apps, they’re actually reading with them.
[Via eReport: Smartphones show 300% growth in use as ebook readers.]
Some people love books. I’ve always been a reader. When I was younger I’d read books by the dozen — fiction, or as I grew a little older, non-fiction. These days most of my reading is technical material, or stuff sourced from the Internet, or tweets and email and RSS feeds.
At the moment I have some good detective novels in paperback that I’m reading most nights. I’d be just as happy for them to be ebooks. I find my iPod touch fits perfectly in my hand, so I can forget about trying to find a way to hold the book so the light’s right and I’m not breaking the spine.
This is one trend I’m very happy with.
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