Seconds Away, Round One - The Big Fight - The Kindle Versus the Book

The gloves are well and truly on for the supreme fight of the new century, theKindle electronic book reader versus the traditional book. The Kindle is the new kid on the block, whereas the book has been around for what seems like forever, in the same format. Will this new device, and others that have been developed, mark the end of the book as we know it?

Well; as fights go we are definitely still in round one for this particular question. There is a big resistance, mainly by the older generation, to cling on to the book in the old format, and this is built on historical roots and sentiment; the younger generation however, are used to reading using computer screens, and are not therefore locked into this traditional view of the book. Here are some of the major areas of battle between theKindle and the book.

What are the size of the fighters?

The traditional book, comes in a handy to hold format and can be fitted into your pocket or bag. Some of the bigger books, like Harry Potter, can be a bit more bulky. The kindle has one size which is a little bit smaller than the average Paperback, and larger books can be downloaded into it with no size change to the actual devise. Points win for the Kindle.

What about the capacity between the two formats?

When you buy a book, that's it; you read it and then probable put it on a shelf somewhere in your house, to be read again at a later date. The Kindle can download up to 3500 pieces of literature and store them in its memory, enabling its owner to carry around an incredible amount of literature. Points win to the Kindle.

Battery life.

There is obviously no need for a battery with a book, but a Kindle's battery lasts up to two months based upon about half an hour reading a day. The book in this sense is less of a hassle, so points win for the book.

What about reading in bright sunlight?

You can take a book anywhere and read without too much trouble in bright sunlight. The screen of a Kindle is unlike your average LCD screen and reads like paper, with no glare, so you can read as easily in bright sunlight, as in your Living Room. This has to be a draw.

What are the special features?

With a book you get what you get; the book has information or a story and you read it. The Kindle has a dictionary embedded in its brain so if you don't know a word, you can look it up while you are reading. If you get tired of reading, then switch to voice mode, and the Kindle will read to you. Knock out for the Kindle.

It is going to take time, but I believe that the writing is on the wall for the book in its old traditional format, and maybe books will be only found in the museums of the future.