E-Book Vs. The Book

E-Book Vs. The Book
By Kevin McFall
During a recent flight, I had a momentary epiphany involving the virtues of the traditional book versus the e-book. The point during boarding had arrived in which the announcements by flight attendants were being made regarding what devices would need to be turned to the off position to prepare for the flight once the doors were closed.
The woman across the aisle from me held her hard-bound 350 page or so book in her lap, while the gentleman in front of me grunted as the announcement would affect his ability to continue to enjoy reading the New York Times Best-Seller on his Kindle Touch. The gentleman was reminded to power off his device as the flight attendant returned down the aisle to scan for scofflaws. He gruffly closed the leather cover protecting the unit before shoving the device into the seat pocket in front of him.
Observing these events, prompted me to think about the many instances in which an E-book is ideal, but not a real book, and vice-versa. Hence the origin of this post about what will inevitably be a mute point in the years to come, but until such a time provides for a relevant conversation in the valley of the gadgeteer.

Top 5 Advantages of the E-Book
1. Size and Weight. Easy to store.
2. Can host more than one book, magazine or other periodical at a time
3. Bookmarks never fall out
4. Books are portable and can be read across multiple devices
5. Cool factor is really high

Top 5 Advantages of the Traditional Book
1. Never runs out of battery power
2. No on/off switch allowing you to keep reading on the plane
3. Won’t break if you drop it
4. Easy to get through security
5. Can be made into an elaborate work of art


What other advantages can you think of for E-books versus traditional books? Do you own a dedicated E-reader or do you leverage your other multi-functional devices such as smart phones, tablets, or notebook computers to read?