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The eBook Reader Story

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A Very Short History Lesson


Electronic reading devices or ebook readers have changed the way we read. The written word will no longer be put down on paper. Technology may have changed the way we write, but these new devices have changed the way we read books, newspapers and other reading materials. Lets take a brief look.

A Book Is A Book Is A...

What is a book anyway?

In its simplest form, a book is a compilation of written words recorded on thin paper and held together by two thicker pieces of paper. In ancient Egypt the Egyptians first made paper from the stem of the papyrus plant. In those days scrolls were used to collect and store the written word. 3,100 years later the Chinese developed what we consider modern paper from hemp fiber. Because books were hand written, up until the Middle Ages they were very rare and only the wealthy could afford them. In 1450 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press giving the general public access to reading materials.

Improvements In The Technology


Many improvements in printing and book binding were made through the following centuries but a book pretty much stayed a book. It was not until the 1990's when the computer age changed the course history. Sony was one of the first to digitize printed matter into a portable reading device with its introduction of the Data Discman. This was followed by several other versions by different competitors but the market was more enthralled with the internet than with electronic reading devices. These ebook readers were supported by different formats such as Adobe's PDF format. The numerous formats fragmented the ebook market. Some of the early eBook readers, which has influenced the devices of today, were the eBookMan, the Rocket eBook, and the SoftBook Reader.



eBook readers are like a small computer. The technology is basically the same. They have a CPU which runs from 200 to 400MHz and they are capable of storing megabytes of information. What makes them unique is there display screen. The technology behind this is called ePaper, which is short for electronic paper. This makes the display screen appear like actual paper.

At the start of the 21st. Century cell phones and PDA's were becoming the craze. Soon there after Sony came out with their Sony-Libre portable electronic book. Though slow to gain popularity, the electronic book device started to gain momentum. Different variations by different manufacturers followed. The latest version of which is the Amazon.com Kindle 2 with thousands of electronic book titles, newspapers and other digital content.

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eBook Readers Guide
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I am an Internet Marketer and I offer no "get rich" schemes or fabulous claims. I just offer the honest truth

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