eLearning Service

Ever since I noticed that my library has a number of ebooks in Adobe formats (ePub, PDF) that can be downloaded to a computer and read with Adobe Digital Editions, I have been seriously considering getting a compatible eReader so I can take them with me.  Unfortunately, the Kindle is not one of them.

The idea of an ebook reader is attractive to me for several reasons: 1) I like gadgets; 2) I like the idea of carrying around many books on one small device; 3) Every reader I have heard about lately has easy on the eyes eInk and you can adjust the font to suit your needs.  The latter has become more appealing to me as I age.  I can still read small paperback books but they strain my eyes and I much prefer a larger font.  I often get “large print” books from the library when they are available.

And mentioning the library — that is the biggest draw.  I read, or start to read, hundreds of books a year.  Inevitably, some just don’t appeal and I return them partially read to the library.  I really don’t want to buy all the books I think I might want to read.  Owning a book I am sure I want to read and keep is another matter.

TechCrunch notes that Google is challenging the proprietary Amazon Kindle line through several partnerships.  The most recent is with British Interead, bringing the same amount of ebooks to an online store outside the U.S. for the first time (where close to half a million of them are available for free).  Interead is behind the COOLERBOOKS ebook store.  The company also manufactures COOL-ER eReaders, “small, elegant ebook readers that kinda look like giant iPods and cost $249 in the United States.”

The COOL-ER uses E InkR, which gives a “like paper” display, replicating the experience of reading a book.  The reader uses power only for “page turns” which means that a “single charge lasts for 8000 pages and unlike a book, the electronic display allows you to change the text size to suit you!”  The Cool-ER has a bookstore with more than 750,000 titles and supports Adobe Digital Editions.  You can view the specs here.

Google first teamed up with Sony, adding about 1 million public domain books to the technology giant’s eBook Store which has both free and low-cost books.  Sony has several ebook readers that support the books I can download from my library, the newest one being the Reader Touch Edition ($299.99) which is “temporarily out of stock”.  It has a touch screen which is appealing to me.  There is a brief video on the site showing how it works.