Books and eBooks: The reading revolution?

                 As many of us know, times change. And as it does, the way we do our common tasks change aswell...how we read (which will be the main topic for this article!) has changed dramatically over the years... But now! with the invention of the Internet and e-tablets (such as the iPad) that brought the creation of eBooks, the usual and classic way we read (with hardcover and paper books) may be forever forgotten and considered useless...or at least that's what technology enthusiasts predict. Well, maybe they're right! Let's compare both reading ways, taking in consideration the way the books are produced, the comfort, and the features each kind of reading provides. This way book lovers such as myself will be able to decide if the way we read has truly improved over the years.

            First things first: With the creation of eTablets, physical book production could be eliminated...for good. That's right, as the books you would read are completly electronic, there's no need of paper at all , leave alone printing, book sewing and even hardcover production! This is incredibly handy in many ways: for instance, books would never be "Sold out" again, no time to waste in production. You can buy books in any place with Internet, editing errors can be easily corrected... Also, let's imagine how many millions of trees could be saved daily all over the world, bringing enviromental benefits. The United States Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. declared that paper pollution was one of the main causes of global contamination, with a high 30% of environmental damages in comparison with other kinds of pollution. Think about how much of that 30% is being reduced right now with eBooks. It's now safe to say that electronic reading (eReading) it's not only a great tool for the readers, but also, good for the enviroment.

  But, is eReading really that different from normal, classic reading? It is, in a very good way. Space, weight and location are three big comfort topics we should analize. Books are often big, and are often saved in a large (but secure) area of our homes: the bookshelf. Well, with eBooks we can forget about that space, since all of our books would be stored in a very tiny area, called the Hard Drive. Not just one book, but many, all of them in a place we can't physically see without breaking some gadgets first! If that's neat let's think about the weight: As a student who loves science books, the only drawback I feel when purchasing one of these books is the pain of carrying it around all day in my backpack, leaving my back sore at the end of the day. eTablets weight almost nothing, so we not only have many books in a single, small place, we also have it in a place that is almost weightless.

     Reading an eBook is not the same as reading a book in an electronic device. And that's something most people don't know! Above the weight and space issues, eBooks deliver a much better reading experience than a book could ever provide. And is all thanks to the features of each independent eBook. Let's take a simple Chapter Index, in eBooks you can get to any chapter you want just by clicking on it's name in the "Chapters" page, but not only the chapters, you can type any word or phrase and the device will look it for you in a matter of seconds! It makes looking for a word in a dictionary so easy! Another feature is the Light/Brightness adjustment, while in books you have to worry about a light source, eBooks bring their own, and you can adjust it in any place, anywhere, anytime; and you may also adjust it so you don't disturb other people while reading...pretty handy. For children and physics books, instead of having pictures, the books can be (and are being) designed with short interactive animations, making books more dynamical. There are many features in eBooks, and many more will come as the technology increases.

Electronic Bookshelf (from Apple's iBooks)

            Times change, and even if it does there are some common cultural activities that we will forever enjoy, reading, one of those activities, has changed a lot since the first book was written, but it has changed for good. With almost no space to occupy, weightless and highly featured, eBooks are for sure the big change readers were waiting for. But eBooks also assure us a healthier enviroment and  some other commodities that would be impossible for books to provide, commodities such as online shopping and the exclusion of waiting lines, or even easier, we woudnt have to worry about if a book we are interested in will be sold out or not! But that's not all! As technology increases so will advance eBooks, making them each time better and better. The time to change the way we read has come, and the change is so far, so good.