Read on the Go with Electronic Book Readers

I'm the kind of person who is always reading a bunch of books at the same time. It's not unusual for me to be in the middle of four or five different titles, and my lengthy list of novels I want to read in the near future ensures that as soon as I finish one, I pick right up with another. And now that I have an electronic book reader, I'll be able to read even more since I can carry a sizable library right in my backpack.

Electronic book readers are devices that allow you to read ebooks on the go. These products present a number of advantages over traditional paperbacks or hardcovers, which is why they're becoming so popular with the general public these days. For instance, electronic book readers are very eco-friendly. Publishers can sell a million copies of an ebook without destroying a single tree, and there's no trash generated during the process. Furthermore, These devices feature massive memory cards that can store thousands of titles, which means you'll never be without something to read. And of course, most units are quite compact, making them even easier to carry than their paper and cardboard counterparts.

I have a dedicated electronic book reader called the Kindle. It's from Amazon.com, and is one of the best-selling devices on the market. The Kindle does nothing except allow you to read books, but it excels at that function and truly makes reading fun. I can buy new titles online from Amazon, which are then instantly delivered wirelessly to my device. The whole transaction takes less than a minute and is by far the easiest, most convenient way to purchase the latest New York Times best-seller or that literary classic that I've always meant to tackle. Sony also makes a dedicated electronic book reader, but I think the Kindle is definitely the best in its class.

Some of today's smartphones can also serve as electronic book readers, so if you have a good enough handset, you could probably get it to pull double duty in this respect. I know the Apple iPhone is nice for reading texts because it has a wide, clear screen. Many people have also reported that Blackberrys serve well in this capacity, too. I can vouch for the iPhone, but not any other brand. Still, if I had to choose, I'd go with a Kindle first any day!

And finally, PDAs (portable digital assistants) are also capable of serving as electronic book readers. If you have one of these devices sitting around collecting dust, you might want to put it into service. But since smartphones have taken over, hardly anyone buys PDAs anymore, so I wouldn't recommend purchasing one just for the sake of reading books.

If you love books as much as I do, then an electronic book reader would definitely be a worthwhile investment for you. Though these devices are a bit on the pricey side, I believe it's money well spent. I wouldn't trade my Kindle for anything!