E-readers may be next generation of textbooks
Kathleen McCann and Christine Bosnjak
Issue date: 3/1/10 Section: News
As spring quarter approaches in just a few weeks, many students will purchase their books at the DePaul University bookstore, where new and used copies are available, while more frugal students will order from Web sites such as Half.com and Amazon.com. Some students may even order their textbooks from Chegg.com, an online textbook rental company where books are rented for a fraction of their list price.
With increasingly more options, it is no surprise that college textbooks are available on e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle. Amazon has recently struck deals with three top textbook publishers, including Pearson, Wiley, and Cengage, who make up 60 percent of the textbook market.
Besides Amazon's Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Sony Reader and the iPad, expected to be released in April 2010, are all portable devices specifically designed for the storage and use of books.
"I think these are an amazing invention," said sophomore Anita Mijic. "They allow for you to have access to multiple books at once without having to lug them around. It's great in terms of convenience."
The newest version of Amazon's Kindle, Kindle DX, can hold up to 3,500 books which can be purchased from the Kindle Store's collection of more than 420,000 books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. Once a book is purchased, it is available for reading in 60 seconds.
The Amazon Kindle DX, which is almost identical to the original Kindle, is marketed towards use with textbooks and reading periodicals. Textbooks can be downloaded within minutes and accessed through the device's 3G wireless technology without the need to look for a wifi spot.
The Kindle DX has a bigger screen at 9.7", the width of most magazines, and weighs 18.9 ounces. It also has a feature that can make notes and highlights on your documents, can search for a certain word and bookmark pages and can read your book outloud. Once fully charged, the Kindle's battery lasts through a week of reading.
With increasingly more options, it is no surprise that college textbooks are available on e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle. Amazon has recently struck deals with three top textbook publishers, including Pearson, Wiley, and Cengage, who make up 60 percent of the textbook market.
Besides Amazon's Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Sony Reader and the iPad, expected to be released in April 2010, are all portable devices specifically designed for the storage and use of books.
"I think these are an amazing invention," said sophomore Anita Mijic. "They allow for you to have access to multiple books at once without having to lug them around. It's great in terms of convenience."
The newest version of Amazon's Kindle, Kindle DX, can hold up to 3,500 books which can be purchased from the Kindle Store's collection of more than 420,000 books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. Once a book is purchased, it is available for reading in 60 seconds.
The Amazon Kindle DX, which is almost identical to the original Kindle, is marketed towards use with textbooks and reading periodicals. Textbooks can be downloaded within minutes and accessed through the device's 3G wireless technology without the need to look for a wifi spot.
The Kindle DX has a bigger screen at 9.7", the width of most magazines, and weighs 18.9 ounces. It also has a feature that can make notes and highlights on your documents, can search for a certain word and bookmark pages and can read your book outloud. Once fully charged, the Kindle's battery lasts through a week of reading.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Carol
posted 3/01/10 @ 10:24 PM CST
There is a great article here that also has more information on ways to save money on college textbooks from renting, to sharing, to buying used, as well as online resources new e-book options like MacMillan publishing's Dynamic Books. (Continued…)
Post a Comment