With airlines restricting everything from carry-on bags to total weight allowance for luggage, packing has almost become more challenging than actually planning the vacation. And for the avid readers out there, it’s almost imposssible to figure out how to squeeze both War and Peace and the latest Dan Brown hardcover in with their bathing suit and sunscreen for that two-week Caribbean vacation.
Maybe an electronic reading device is the answer. “You can carry a lot of books without carrying a lot of weight. Particularly if you’re interested in first editions where you have hardcover books before the paperbacks come out,” says Rob Enderle, a consumer technology analyst with the San Jose, CA-based Enderle Group. “One hardcover will outweigh a typical e-reader by a substantial margin. And on long trips, you might need one or two books.”
The weight factor isn’t the only reason experts such as Enderle tout e-readers for travellers. The readers, which range in price from about $250 to $500, are also portable. Screens can be as small as 12 cm or as large as 28 cm, which lets travellers pick what best suits their needs. “And with the ones that have wireless service, if you land in an airport you can shop online and get a new book very quickly. A download typically typically takes under a minute. So you don’t have to search for a bookstore and hope they have something you want to read,” Enderle says.
Here’s a look at some of the devices available:
Kindle: This device from book uber-store Amazon.com can wirelessly download books available through the Kindle Store (over 400,00 titles and counting). Some of the newer Kindles are as thin as a magazine and lighter than a paperback.
Blackberry: It’s possible to download books onto your beloved BlackberryÑonly you’ll need to download software such as the Mobipocket eBook Reader, and continue from there to select your titles.
iPod touch/iPhone: Tapping into Amazon’s Kindle inventory of books, you can download books from the Kindle site, or access your Kindle books even if you don’t have your Kindle with you.
Sony’s Reader Digital Book: Holding as many as 350 eBooks at a time, the Reader Digital Book can download titles from Sony’s eBook Store (think iTunes for books).
iPad: Touted by some as the hottest e-reader to date thanks to its user-friendly speed and design, this is admittedly a larger reader than others on the market. Download Apple’s iBooks application to start browsing and downloading titles from its iBookstore.
To select a reader, consider your screen and size preferences and how important portability is to you. And give some thought to where you’ll use your e-readerÑEnderle notes the LCD screens available on products such as the upcoming iPad wash out when the device is viewed outdoors, so they might not be the best poolside reading accessory.
Finally, think about what content you’re after and see what’s actually available for particular readers. “These things live and die on content. It doesn’t make any sense to buy a $500 reader if they don’t have any books you want,” he says. “Go to the e-store first and pick three or four books you just read and three or four books you want to read and see which store has the better selection.”
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