This week Amazon unveiled the latest weapon in their armoury to secure the electronic reading market. The KINDLE 2 is a slinky, skinny, portable electronic book-reader. KINDLE 2 gives you access to more than 188 thousand bestsellers, magazines and newspapers. Some have described the KINDLE 2 as Amazons book equivalent of Apples iTunes music library. Never fear, for those iPhone users Amazon have already developed an app.
I was originally a sceptic. Call me old fashion but I still love the feel of picking up a good book, thumbing through the pages or even smelling the fresh ink of a broadsheet over breakfast. But I will admit there is definitely a place for the KINDLE 2.
I could ooze with enthusiasm over all the extras this device has been packed with but most importantly it could and perhaps will revolutionise how our students consume traditional academic text.
Already you can access more than 188 thousands best sellers, magazine and newspapers. The Education sector is the next obvious market. Textbooks while sometimes a necessity are heavy, expensive, in constant need of updating and reprinting and then there is the question of storage. The e book-reader solves all of these practical problems.
One day this may be the only item on a schools book list, with individual users (students) able to customise the texts they load dependant on subject choice. The device can be used anywhere, any time. So while you will still find me curled up with a good novel and a coffee on the weekend. Monday through Friday I’ll be bragging about my new e book reader.
Written by Mandy Ross.Mandy
