TechBytes: Reading Gets an Upgrade

Nov. 26, 2009— -- Chris Dewan normally passes the time on his New York subway commute buried in a good book. These days, he's turning more heads, than pages with an electronic book reader.

"I've had a lot of times on the train where I'll have a long conversation trying to explain just what it is." said Chris Dewan

At just over a third of an inch thick and weighing around ten ounces, Dewan carries his "book" everywhere.

"People are shocked, that's a book? That's a book?" Dewan said.

Chris Dewan is one of the millions, three million this year alone, who've discovered a new way to read. Now he's hooked, on his Kindle.

Convenience doesn't come cheap. Sony's least expensive e-book will set you back $200. The Kindle runs $260.

But price doesn't seem to be a problem, at Barnes and Noble, they're lining up for a look at the "Nook." The $260 device is still on pre-order.

Now these readers are doing for books, what another device did for music.

"Much as the iPod allowed us to bring hundreds or thousands of songs with us when carrying that many CD's was impractical, the same is true of e-readers today" said Ross Rubin technology analyst for research firm The NPD Group.

The newest e-book readers are wireless, so you can buy books on the go. And even some libraries are getting into the act, teaming up with Sony to make their collections available for free download.

"Anything that gets people reading and gets, books, especially good books, in their hands, we're interested in," said Paul LeClerc, President and CEO of the New York Public Library.

For Chris Dewan the Kindle helps him find more time to squeeze in a few more pages here and there. "I'm much more likely to read during those little nooks and crannies of time that I have on the commute," he said. "The portability is amazing and the readability is also really impressive."