E-books

            Electronic books sound like a futuristic phenomenon or something from a sci-fi movie. The thought itself may even seem intimidating to those who still consider themselves to be computer illiterate. But the fact is, that E-books are creeping their way into our society and life, and how the public reacts to this technology may determine the future of written literature. It is not surprising therefore, that a great amount of attention, both positive and negative, has been placed around these books and what the technology could accomplish. My opinion is that E-books will slowly infiltrate society, eventually replacing much of the printed text as we begin to rely on the electronic medium for our literature and information.
             Although my opinion rests on the belief that E-books are a positive invention, they do have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. After downloading the Microsoft and Acrobat E-book readers, and also doing some research online, the advantages of E-books seemed rather obvious. The very first thing that I noticed was the price difference between a paperback or hardcover printed book bought at a store, and the electronic books which I found online. Not only did I find websites where entire books could be downloaded for free, but I also found best sellers, and new releases for discounted prices. I bought Stephen King's book "Riding the Bullet" from Amazon.com for only $2.95. Although this book was only a short story of about seventy-seven pages, it most likely would have retailed as a printed book for a much higher price. I was stunned to find a book which I was interested in reading for such a small fee, and as a college student, the price of something is of significant meaning. .
             The greatest disadvantage I found with reading an E-book, was that my only source to view it is on my laptop computer. This meant that after about two hours, when my computer battery would die, I would have to remain somewhere that was accessible to an outlet.