E-readers To Download High Quality
Raffi Bramlett
Many e-readers can use the internet through Wi-Fi and the built-in software can provide a link to a digital Open Publication Distribution System (OPDS) library or an e-book retailer, allowing the user to buy, borrow, and receive digital e-books.[9] An e-reader may also download e-books from a computer or read them from a memory card.[10] However, the use of memory cards is decreasing as most of the 2010s era e-readers lack a card slot.[11]
The establishment of the E Ink Corporation in 1997 led to the development of electronic paper, a technology which allows a display screen to reflect light like ordinary paper without the need for a backlight. Among the first commercial e-readers were Sony's Data Discman (which was using Mini CDs with special caddies) and the Rocket eBook.[14] Several others were introduced around 1998, but did not gain widespread acceptance. Electronic paper was incorporated first into the Sony Librie that was released in 2004 and Sony Reader in 2006, followed by the Amazon Kindle, a device which, upon its release in 2007, sold out within five and a half hours.[15] The Kindle includes access to the Kindle Store for e-book sales and delivery.
As of 2009[update], new marketing models for e-books were being developed and a new generation of reading hardware was produced. E-books (as opposed to e-readers) had yet to achieve global distribution. In the United States, as of September 2009, the Amazon Kindle model and Sony's PRS-500 were the dominant e-reading devices.[16] By March 2010, some reported that the Barnes & Noble Nook may have been selling more units than the Kindle in the US.[17] The Ectaco jetBook Color was the first color e-reader on the market, but its muted colors were criticized.[18] As of 2021, a few color E-ink readers have been introduced into the market.[19]
Research released in March 2011 indicated that e-books and e-readers were more popular with the older generation than the younger generation in the UK. The survey, carried out by Silver Poll, found that around 6% of people over 55 owned an e-reader, compared with just 5% of 18- to 24-year-olds.[20] According to an IDC study from March 2011, sales for all e-readers worldwide rose to 12.8 million in 2010; 48% of them were Amazon Kindles, followed by Barnes & Noble Nooks, Pandigital, and Sony Readers (about 800,000 units for 2010).[21]
On January 27, 2010 Apple Inc. launched a multi-function tablet computer called the iPad[22] and announced agreements with five of the six largest publishers[23] that would allow Apple to distribute e-books.[24] The iPad includes a built-in app for e-book reading called iBooks and had the iBookstore for content sales and delivery. The iPad, the first commercially profitable tablet, was followed in 2011 by the release of the first Android-based tablets as well as LCD tablet versions of the Nook and Kindle. Unlike previous dedicated e-readers, tablet computers are multi-functional, utilize LCD touchscreen displays, and are more agnostic to e-book vendor apps, allowing for the installation of multiple e-book reading apps. Many Android tablets accept external media and allow uploading files directly onto the tablet's file system without resorting to online stores or cloud services. Many tablet-based and smartphone-based readers are capable of displaying PDF and DJVU files, which few of the dedicated e-book readers can handle. This opens a possibility to read publications originally published on paper and later scanned into a digital format. While these files may not be considered e-books in their strict sense, they preserve the original look of printed editions. The growth in general-purpose tablet use allowed for further growth in the popularity of e-books in the 2010s.
In 2012, there was a 26% decline in sales worldwide from a maximum of 23.2 million in 2011. The reason was given for this "alarmingly precipitous decline" was the rise of more general-purpose tablets that provided e-book reading apps along with many other abilities in a similar form factor.[25] In 2013, ABI Research claimed that the decline in the e-reader market was due to the aging of the customer base.[26] In 2014, the industry reported e-reader sales worldwide to be around 12 million, with only Amazon.com and Kobo Inc. distributing e-readers globally and various regional distribution by Barnes & Noble (US/UK), Tolino (Germany), Icarus (Netherlands), PocketBook International (Eastern Europe and Russia) and Onyx Boox (China and Vietnam).[27] At the end of 2015, eMarketer estimated that there were 83.4 million e-reader users in the US, with the number predicted to grow by 3.5% in 2016.[28] In late 2014, PricewaterhouseCoopers predicted that by 2018 e-books would make up over 50% of total consumer publishing revenue in the U.S. and UK, while at that time, e-books were over 30% of the share of the revenue.[29]
Until late 2013, the use of an e-reader was not allowed on airplanes during takeoff and landing.[30] In November 2013, the FAA allowed use of e-readers on airplanes at all times if set to Airplane Mode, which turns all radios off. European authorities followed this guidance the following month.[31]
The graphical design of ebooks underlies the format and technical limits of e-readers because most E-ink readers do not support color displays and they have a limited resolution and size.[34] The reading experience (readability) on E-ink displays (that are not back-illuminated) depends on the lighting condition.[34]
Richard Stallman has expressed concern about the perceived loss of freedom or privacy that comes with e-readers, namely the inability to read whatever a reader prefers without the possibility of being tracked.[39][40]
E-readers can hold thousands of books limited only by their memory and use the same physical space as a conventional book. Most E-ink displays are not back-illuminated and therefore seem to cause no more eye strain than a traditional book and less eye strain than LCD screens, with a longer battery life.[41][42] Features such as the ability to adjust font size and spacing can help people who have difficulty reading or dyslexia. Some e-readers link to definitions or translations of key words.[43][44] Amazon notes that 85% of its e-reader users look up a word while reading.[45]
E- readers generally refer to two main display technologies: the electronic ink (E-ink) and the liquid crystal display (LCD). The E-ink (i.e. electronic ink or electronic paper) is designed to reproduce the appearance of ink on paper. With respect to LCD, the main advantages of E-ink display are better readability of their screens - especially in bright sunlight - and longer battery life. While E-ink readers do not allow colors and are limited for reading, LCD e-readers are usually tablets, which means they are not just a replacement for a book, rather multifunctional devices, which can be used for communication, organization or leisure activities [10]. LCD tablets have faster screens capable of higher refresh rates and are more suitable for interaction. Some last generation E-ink displays, like the Kindle Paperwhite, offer a reading experience in all lighting conditions, from bright sunlight to bedtime reading, guiding light towards the surface of the e-ink display from above.
In forums about e-readers there are many statements about the advantages and disadvantages of these displays and their term of comparison is usually the paper, which is still the most used support for reading. According to Siegenthaler et al. [10], the discussion whether E-ink or LCD is better for reading is emotional, and scientific evidence is quite sparse. In fact, just few studies are focused on reading behavior and even less deal with visual fatigue. Moreover, the results of these studies are device-dependent, and the rapid technological advancement of these supports turns recent results out of date quite quickly.
Concerning reading behavior, Shen et al. [11] found E-ink reader (Sony e-reader) to have higher search accuracy with respect to LCD (Kolin e-reader). Siegenthaler et al. [12], found no differences between the same E-ink device (Sony e-reader) and LCD (iPad 1st generation), as confirmed by both subjective (VFS - [13]) and objective measures (eye and reading performance measures). Siegenthaler et al. [10] showed that iPad 1st generation, under special artificial light conditions, may even provide better legibility than Sony e-reader. Siegenthaler et al. [14], comparing five E-ink displays and a paper book, found that reading behavior on e-readers is very similar to the reading behavior on print (i.e. no differences in reading speed and regressive saccades), and that E-ink may even provide better legibility than paper. Zambarbieri & Carniglia [15] found no differences in reading behavior between paper book, iPad 1st generation and E-ink (Kindle DX).
In this framework, the need to empirically evaluate visual fatigue on e-readers and paper is getting more and more important. However, only few studies have focused on visual fatigue [11], [12], [17], [18]. Kang et al. [17] found LCD (Kolin e-reader) to trigger higher visual fatigue than paper book as well as lower reading performance. Lee et al. [18] showed that Sony e-reader triggers shorter search times and higher accuracy with respect to LCD (Kolin e-reader), whereas no differences were found as to visual strain.
Since visual discomfort and related symptoms occurring in VDT workers have been recognized as a growing health problem [32], we believe that the growing spread of e-readers should be taken into account as well. Although the aim of this study was to make an up-to-date comparison of reading devices concerning their effects on visual fatigue, it should be emphasized that comparisons with previous studies, employing older display technologies, have some limits. The use of reading devices as independent variables clearly leads to device-dependent results.
Like audible, Kobo is used in this test as a comparison. It does not have any accessible features such as continuous scroll or screen ruler. However, in the portrait test, Kindle was 35 seconds behind. This test was also in portrait mode and there are 5 seconds between the two e-readers.
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