Despite my musings on the subject about 18 months ago, last Tuesday I purchased a Sony PRS-350 ebook reader!

For a long time I've been unsure about the latest medium to go digital. I was staunchly pro paper, concerned about the impact of DRM, multiple formats and cost. However, I decided that now really was a good time to give it a go.

My eBook History, and DRM Troubles

The situation came about a couple of weeks ago when I thought of re-visiting some old ebooks I'd purchased back in 2006 when I experimented with reading on my iPaq PDA. These books were in Microsoft's .LIT format requiring Microsoft Reader to view them and the associated MSN Passport account.

Infuriatingly I found that through lack of use, my Passport account no longer existed and that Microsoft was discontinuing the format. Although I could for the moment still get the reader, I couldn't associate it with a valid account and therefore couldn't get the books.

This is exactly the situation I was worried about - not being able to access books I had legally purchased thanks to over-restrictive DRM.

Fortunately I still had my account details for the store where I bought the books and having contacted them they kindly allowed me to re-download the books in another format - EPUB. Still DRM restricted, but much more accessible being supported by many different devices. Kudos to ebooks.com for their customer service.

So having re-gained access to my books and having discovered how to read them on my Android phone I discovered the benefits of effectively being able to keep a book in my pocket to read whenever I had a spare 5-10 minutes. I found the amount of time I would spend reading significantly increased.

A Dedicated Reader

The big problem now was the screen size, battery life and reading on a backlit screen. It wasn't the most comfortable experience. Not as pleasant as reading paper. So for that reason, and the fact that my real bookshelf is now full to bursting, I decided I might as well get a proper e-Ink device.

There were only two real contenders as far as I could tell based on various internet searches: the Amazon Kindle or a Sony Reader. Not wanting to be locked in to a specific store or device, the Sony seemed the best option. Wanting something pocketable, I chose the PRS-350 - it's smaller than the kindle with a 5" screen and no keypad, and it sports a touchscreen display. Importantly it supports the EPUB format (as well as others) meaning I had a few stores to choose from.

6 Days of Reading

So I've now had the device for nearly a week. I've already read one novel and am half-way through another. I find it very easy to keep with me and to read a chapter every now and again.

The Pearl e-Ink display is a pleasure to read with crisp, clear text; no viewing angle issues and a reasonably quick refresh rate. This particular device having a touchscreen interface makes reading as near to the paper experience as possible with a swipe of the finger across the screen turning the page.

In terms of the experience of reading, I'm really quite happy!

Downsides

There are however a few issues that I believe need to be sorted out, not with the device but with the purchasing of books and their accessibility.

EPUB books are generally sold with DRM restrictions. Fortunately there is a way around this, but whilst the procedure is not difficult I wouldn't expect technically illiterate people to follow it. The Sony Readers can be associated with an Adobe account to permit access to DRM protected books, but I'm wary of doing this based on my past experiences with Microsoft's DRM system. I should state here that I do NOT agree with illegally sharing and obtaining books and I do not indulge in such activities, however I also do not agree with DRM restricting what I can do with books I have bought and therefore have no qualms about de-restricting books I have purchased.

Prices can be interesting. I've found numerous ebooks that are either cheaper than their paperback equivalents or at least on par with them but in some cases, the opposite is true. For example, right now Waterstones are selling Stephen Hawking's 'The Grand Design'. As an ebook it costs £15.99 but as a paperback it costs £8.99 (it's actually £4.99 but that's with a 50% off offer). That is simply crazy and I cannot see any reason for it. Kobo Books is selling the same book for £6.49 so it is available at a reasonable price - why isn't Waterstones (and WHSmith for that matter) also selling at a more reasonable rate?

Related to price are discount codes. Today, Kobo Books has a 20% off code valid for one purchase. Great, I thought, and off I went to purchase Brian Greene's 'The Hidden Reality'. At checkout I was disappointed to note the text 'Due to publisher restrictions Promo codes are not allowed for this product.' This was actually the case for about five different books I tried to use the code with. Perhaps this is an issue with the store in question - maybe they should have a page indicating on what books they code can be used. They didn't however and I can't help but wonder if this is a problem with the ebook system.

The final issue I have is relatively minor and may not be an ebook issue, but it is quality control. I noticed a couple of spelling and grammar errors in my copy of Cold Granite by Stuart Macbride most of which should be detectable using a spell checker. I don't know if these errors exist in the paper copy though so I'm not going to dwell on them.

Conclusion

Overall I'm very happy with my eBooks reader and it has increased the amount of reading I have done significantly.

I hope over time that the issues I experienced above will be ironed out - particularly the DRM issue. I just need to remember to shop around for the best price and be aware that in some cases I may just have to purchase the paper copy where it is significantly cheaper.

There's been a lot written in the technology press recently about e-book readers - tablet like devices with e-ink screens used primarily for reading e-books but also, in some cases, as a basic media player.

Whilst the concept of e-books has been around for a number of years with the likes of Project Gutenberg and reading on PDAs, actual dedicated readers are only around 5 years old though; with more being released with the last year than in the 4 years previous.

The growth of the reader has probably been spurned on by the launch of the Amazon Kindle reader sold by the internet behemoth initially in the US. Now, the latest version is available in the UK and Waterstones have been pushing a Sony model in its stores.

As a gadget, I'm quite impressed. The thin, book size devices - perhaps with a nice leather fold-over cover - with a battery life measured in page turns rather than minutes or hours (when reading at least) certainly results in an appealing gadget but the question is will I buy one?

For some reason or another, I've been pondering this over the last couple of days. Initially I was firmly in the 'NO' camp. I couldn't bear the idea of getting rid of my ordinary books. Bookshelves look nice. They make a home look lived-in. Somehow, an e-book reader would not have the same ambience. My opinion hasn't changed greatly during my musings, but I have moved ever so slightly away from the steadfast 'NO' to "No, but I won't rule it out".

You see, there is a part of me (and it is a small part) that likes the clutter-free home. Where a living room is rather minimalist; dominated by furniture but that's all - books, DVDs, blu-ray discs, CDs are all out of site.

The technology-lover in me reminds me that at one time I thought I'd never embrace music downloads ... now I have a monthly subscription of 75 songs.

I then think of the times I carry books around in my bag and the tatty edges they earn like trophies awarded for the many miles they may have travelled. None of that for a nice e-book reader.

Before I cry 'Vive le (gadget) révolution' and rush to Waterstones waving my wallet shouting 'take my cash, take my cash', there are problems that draw me back into the 400 year old world of print:

• The cost. With e-book readers costing upwards of £150, I would be quite wary. Reading in the living room, or at work in the staff room would be great but what about reading in public: on the bus, tube, train or plane, on the beach, in a cafe? Can I engrose myself fully in the book knowing that I hold in my hand what could be quite a desirable object? Advertising to thieves? Also thinking of the beach, what would sand do to the device, or salt water for that matter? Reading in the bath? No thanks. If I drop a paperback in water, I've lost maybe £10. To loose £150 is another matter.
• The cost of a book. As I understand it, e-books aren't significantly cheaper than real books. The argument is that editing costs etc. are the same. I argue that distribution costs must be vastly reduced and the lack of a physical product naturally reduces the value. If I can't get books for cheaper digitally then I'm unlikely to embrace the idea.
• Formats. Amazon uses it's own e-book format for which a Kindle is required. Other readers use more open formats. I don't want to get involved in a format war, so I will wait until a standard for all stores appears that works on all e-book readers. Much like most digital music is now available in MP3 and will play on anything.
• DRM. I know piracy is likely to be an issue, just like with music. However, just like with music, if the product is cheap enough and easy to use I believe many people will opt for the legal option. I won't enter this market if it is riddled with DRM. I don't want to have limits on how many devices I can use, or have the possibility of a book being deleted from my device because of a publication problem.

If all of these problems are addressed, and I'm sure many if not all will be over time, then I'll reconsider my position on e-books. Until then, paper is my friend.