E-books read well, but readers prefer paper

 E-books read well, but readers prefer paper

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The number of people subscribing¹ to newspapers may be shrinking as they flock to the Internet, but electronic book readers won't shred² the market for ink, paper, glue and binding³ anytime soon.

After years of promises and false starts, booksellers and technology companies are diving into the world of digital books. Sony Corp is selling the Reader Digital Book for $299, while giant online shopping company Amazon.com offers the Kindle⁴ for $399.

New readers are lighter⁵ than the average hardback fiction bestseller, easy on the eyes and let readers carry around as many as 200 titles in hardware that weighs less than a pound.

But to some people, there's something missing.

"It's, I guess, the feel of holding a book that someone really put a lot of effort into writing, and you kind of lose that a little bit with a digital product," said Katy Farina, 21, of Montgomery, New Jersey⁶.

Farina, a student at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, was browsing⁷ at the Borders bookstore near Madison Square Garden. As shoppers lined up at closing time, the subtle, comforting aroma⁸ of books permeated⁹ the store.

"It feels real, whereas (the reader) kind of separates you a little bit from the story," Farina said.

Harry¹⁰ Howe, who had picked up "Surrender Is Not an Option" by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, said he might use an e-book reader for blog or Web site material that he wanted to read while away from home, but not for reading a novel.

"It's just not a physical experience that I'm yet comfortable with," said Howe, 55, who teaches accounting¹¹ at the State University of New York's Geneseo campus and lives in Rochester. "On the other hand, I didn't grow up reading things on various Web sites."

Farina said she would like a reader for traveling because she would not have to transport so many books. This is something that HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide Chief Executive Jane Friedman said is a prime advantage.

"To put 10 books on your Sony reader or on your Kindle is a lot better than carrying 10 books," she said.

Readers often shy away from using the devices until they discover how pleasant reading on them can be, Friedman said.

"I was always the person who said, 'how can you have any kind of experience but the tactile¹² experience of holding a book in your hand?'" she said. "And I still feel that way about certain books; but I don't feel that way about every single book I read."

Neither Sony nor Amazon would say how many machines they have sold, but enough people apparently¹³ are interested in trying them out. An Amazon executive at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week said the Kindle sold out on its first day in 5-1/2 hours.

Buying books for the Kindle is as easy as using Amazon to buy regular books, with the price often being a few dollars cheaper because of the absence of a physical product and titles available through a wireless¹⁴ download. Sony's eBook Store offers downloads through its own software to a buyer's PC. The volumes are then sent from the PC to a Reader Digital Book through a USB cable.

And for people wavering between paper and pixels, Sony does offer a concession¹⁵ -- an optional leather cover. "I think it's a shrewd move," said Howe. "How retro is that!"

1 subscribing   

v.捐助( subscribe的现在分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• I am subscribing for some of the books of a book club. 我预订了几本这家书刊俱乐部出版的书。 来自辞典例句
• I am glad to have such a pleasant opportunity of subscribing myself. 今后益望努力前途，为国效力。 来自互联网

2 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

3 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

4 kindle   

v.点燃，着火

参考例句：

• This wood is too wet to kindle.这木柴太湿点不着。
• A small spark was enough to kindle Lily's imagination.一星光花足以点燃莉丽的全部想象力。

5 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 browsing   

v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息

参考例句：

• He sits browsing over[through] a book. 他坐着翻阅书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Cattle is browsing in the field. 牛正在田里吃草。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

9 permeated   

弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• The smell of leather permeated the room. 屋子里弥漫着皮革的气味。
• His public speeches were permeated with hatred of injustice. 在他对民众的演说里，充满了对不公正的愤慨。

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

11 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

12 tactile   

adj.触觉的，有触觉的，能触知的

参考例句：

• Norris is an expert in the tactile and the tangible.诺里斯创作最精到之处便是，他描绘的人物使人看得见摸得着。
• Tactile communication uses touch rather than sight or hearing.触觉交流，是用触摸感觉，而不是用看或听来感觉。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

15 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。