My First Ebook

So I finished my first electronic book yesterday night. I’ve been reading it on and off for 3 weeks.

I decided to start off with Robert Jordan’s Book 1 of the Wheel of Time Melodrama – The Eye of the World. I thought that the ending was a little rushed, but not a bad read once you get past the superfluous and wordy parts of the book. It’s a pretty good fantasy novel.

I used to be big into reading fantasy books back in high school, but I drifted to grittier, edgier forms of fiction and non-fiction since then.

Reading from an e-book is very different and not nearly as tactile as say, reading from a nicely hard-cover book. My Palm Vx isn’t an ideal e-book reader, the pages are too small (requiring a mind-boggleling amount of scrolling), the screen contrast too low, and the glare can be troublesome too. I think Kevin or Eric’s PocketPC would be a more ideal screen for reading a 500 page paperback novel.

Some advantages: The Palm remembers your page in the book—a nicety that I’m sure everyone without a bookmark can appreciate. You can also read in the dark by using the backlight of your handheld (which I’m sure is bad for the eyes, but to be honest, it’s probably the highest contrast that you’ll ever get out of a palm Vx).

I admit though, although my Palm Vx is an infinitely better PDA than my old Palm Pilot Professional, the backlighting in the Vx is crap. It’s only really useful in a completely dark room, whereas my old Palm Pilot Pro backlight could be used anywhere, under any lighting condition, when more contrast was needed.

Will I read Book 2 on my Palm?

No.

I have installed it on my Palm Vx, but I would rather read it on my iBook than on my palm. However, if I’m traveling and I need something to read, it’s a great compromise.

Tai