| An ebook is a short form for an electronic book, | | | | reading devices and hand-held devices could hold |
| also termed as a digital book. It is the digital | | | | even thousands of ebooks, limited only by the |
| equivalent of a conventional book printed on | | | | available storage memory capacity. Hence, ebooks |
| paper. The ebook could be an electronic version | | | | take very little space and are nearly weightless. |
| of an already printed book or a fresh book | | | | Ebooks could be translated into several |
| created digitally. The ebook should be readable on | | | | languages with the help of online language |
| a personal computer or other hand-held electronic | | | | translation tools, thus providing expanded markets. |
| devices designed specifically for such reading | | | | Many of the ebook reading devices allow |
| purposes. The first ebooks appeared in 1971. | | | | reading in low light or complete darkness also. The |
| The ebooks are released in the Internet in various | | | | fonts and display modes could be expanded or |
| types of formats, with no uniformity or set | | | | reduced to allow even people with poor vision to |
| standards. The major ebook reading devices such | | | | read them without difficulty. The font size of |
| as Kindle of Amazon, PRS-500 of Sony, Cybook | | | | printed books is fixed and could pose problems |
| Gen3 of Bookeen etc. also follow different | | | | for many book lovers. |
| formats, thus fragmenting the ebook market | | | | Many ebooks are provided in audio version |
| further. In January 2010, Apple launched a special | | | | also by the use of special software that enables |
| ebook reading device called iPad. The company | | | | text-to-speech conversion. Hence, ebooks need |
| reached agreements with 5 out of the 6 largest | | | | not always be read with our eyes but could be |
| book publishers for distributing the books in ebook | | | | listened. The listening speed could also be adjusted |
| format. However, some of the renowned | | | | in most devices. |
| authors, such as J.K. Rowling, who had written the | | | | It is quite easy to search the ebook for key |
| Harry Potter series of books, had refused to | | | | terms or go to any page instantly, without much |
| provide ebook versions of their books. | | | | effort. This is a big advantage when we wish to |
| In spite of these problems and technical hitches, | | | | search for a particular section in the ebook or |
| the popularity of ebooks had been steadily | | | | quote from that section. |
| growing. Ebook online library systems had been | | | | The portable ebook reading device might be |
| steadily increasing. According to available data, in | | | | costlier but most of the ebooks are much |
| 2009, more than 2 million ebooks were available | | | | cheaper than printed books due to the ease of |
| on the Internet for download. There are several | | | | selling them several times from one master copy. |
| advantages in ebooks over conventional printed | | | | Most of the ebook online library systems provide |
| books. | | | | free samples of portions of the ebooks to induce |
| Ebooks could be offered to readers on an | | | | the interests of the readers. |
| indefinite manner, unlike conventional books that | | | | It is quite easy to search Google, Bing, Yahoo, |
| need to be printed again, when all the printed | | | | etc. to search for any ebook and find out the |
| editions are sold out. | | | | website selling it. Hence, you need not spend too |
| It would be impossible to carry more than a | | | | much time or effort to find out where to buy |
| few books when we are on the move due to | | | | ebook. As such, purchasing an ebook and reading |
| their sheer weight. On the other hand, the ebook | | | | it had gained immense popularity in recent times. |