From Flip to Click: How E-readers Changed The Reading World

Look! Is it a bird? Or a plane? Why does it look like a tablet?

Is it from another universe? Is it from the future? Is it a recent innovation that is to be replaced by the original? All these questions are in your head when you find out about what this device really is…but is it really that useful?

Regular readers are content with reading their books from time to time without worrying about the lack of sunshine they are getting. However, in the midst of a pandemic, it can be a struggle to explore more books when you are prevented from going outside when you read physical books. Now, the early yet innovative E-readers can help with this problem by allowing people to explore new books with just a simple click, and swipe.

The Start of Digital Reading

In the world of hard bounds and book-binding, E-readers are created with one thing in mind—portability. E-readers, also known as “e-books", is an electronic device that is designed as a convenient and modern way to read books. It may look like an ordinary tablet, but it features an electronic paper rather than an LCD screen.

The idea was born from Writer Bob Brown’s concept of “The Readies” in 1930. This was also the time when paperback books were stocked on bookshelves. According to the writer, the idea of an E-reader would allow readers to read books on a screen. 

“The written word hasn’t kept up with the age… The movies have outmaneuvered it. We have the talkies, but as yet no Readies,” the writer stated.

Due to the fascination with Brown's idea, the first ever prototype of an E-reader was devised by Angela Ruiz Robles, a Spanish school teacher, in 1949. With the combination of watching her students struggle with heavy books and with the concept of readies, she was inspired to create her infamous “Enciclopedia Mecanića” (Mechanical Encyclopedia).

An Effective Way to Comfortability

To be relaxing in your bed while reading a book during the fall season is one's description of a blessing. Another description of a blessing is being able to read as many books as desired in just one device. 

Some might say that an E-book ruins the concept of what physical books are, however, that is never the issue that was planned to be solved as to why it was created. These devices can hold a limit of thousands of books by its memory. These E-readers do not produce eye-strains and head-aches, compared to phone screens or any digital screens. 

The readers are also characterized by P.A.V.– Portability, accessibility, and versatility. Its lightweight and portable nature makes it easier to carry everywhere just like any normal gadget. Their platforms, like Google Books and Amazon, provide more access to a huge library of books. These devices do not only stick to one setting, but they provide the customizing of settings that can be adjusted to the reader's liking.

 These devices also help people with certain disabilities and conditions that have something to do with the struggle of reading. For example, the ability to adjust the settings such as font size, color, spacing, and layout can help those with dyslexia or visual impairment. It also provides audiobooks for free that can be possibly used by people with a reference.

Just Click, Swipe, and Pick!

Its innovative nature gives us the familiar feeling of a gadget that we are already used to. It makes it easier for us to handle and manufacture it for our reference. The struggle of maintaining the proper structure of a book can be a hassle for some people, so an e-reader can solve this problem with ease.

These alternatives are not meant to degrade the worth of its original. But it serves as a reminder that not everyone can be in the same circumstances and deserves also a chance to enjoy the same joy that it brings. This is another way to explore the caves of written art which also provides a more easy experience for all. These E-readers impacted our lives to strive to be more comfortable with one's interests.

“I do believe something very magical happens when you read a good book,” Quoted by Author J.K Rowling.

We are meant to enjoy the literature and content of what was written by our kind and that will not be only allowed in one way. So what do you say? Will you flip it, or click it?