Sony eReader

Let's talk tech. Now that Independence Day is past and my reading is getting done, let's talk about technology and it's impact on the world. Obviously the internet is HUGE. People wonder where we would be without it. I say, exactly where I left it in the '90's. Duh.

I didn't have the 'net when I was in school (undergrad). I had MS DOS. I had one of the first versions of Word. I had 5" floppy disk drives to store stuff. I worked on Commodores and Apple IIe's. I had to WAIT to get to a phone to call people, usually at my house. It had a cord and was attached to the wall--permanently. It also had a dial, not buttons. I functioned at a high rate. Life moved fairly easily and people knew to keep $.25 in case there was a need to call a taxi or $.23 to mail a letter.

Today, I can't keep up with the new software, hardware and in between ware. In class this semester, we open gadget boxes. Wii, iTouch, webcams, document cameras, Flip Mino's, Sony eReaders, and more. This week we are having a techology fair, demonstrating the gadgets we've worked with all semester. My gadget was the Sony eReader. It was...slightly impressive.

I guess I'm just a book kinda a gal. It was neat that you download a book lickety split and many (500,000) were free, but I really like the hunt for that elusive paperback; the smell of those old moldy shelves like you find at Uncle Hugo's; the first edition autographed Hemingway (still have that, Sue?); and the beauty of wondering if those overly stacked shelves might really withstand the mountain of books stacked upon it.

But back to the Sony. It's a simplified version of the Kindle 2. It downloads similar formats/file types. It holds less, 160 vs 1500. It costs less, $299 vs $499. It has less resolution, 6 shades of grey, three font sizes vs 8 shades of grey and 6 font sizes. It does well for that frequent traveler who likes to kick back with a good paperback. Kindle has a flat rate for their recent publications of $9.99. Sony will sell them for $8-20 per book or set. You can find some deals. If you really want power and the ability to create; to read journals and news, get the Kindle 2. If you don't really need it for more than reading, get the Sony.

We had to evaluate if they would work in a classroom and what usage would be possible. I think the Sony fits the lower grades because it's easy to use. The buttons are elementary and it holds more than enough, including picture books. For higher grades and academe, I would recommend the Kindle because of the journal downloads. Either would certainly save space in the classroom & library for those standard novels read in English each year. It would save on wear & tear of said books. The trade off is the cost and maintenance. Keeping it powered and out of the miriad of liquids teens tend to find and apply to school items. Sharing is huge issue. Once purchased, the book cannot be lent between devices. Copyright issues are very touchy in some cases and could cause problems. Let's face it, we don't know yet to what extent someone might be offended or claim copyright infringement.

Gov. Schwarzy wants these in every classroom and for every student in CA. The state can't even pay the electric bill. Govenor, how are you thinking to fund the Kindles? We also talked about the colleges that offer up iPods and Apples to entice students enrollment. Even Apple will give a free iTouch/iPod with the purchase of a qualifying laptop for students. What a boon! But at what cost? Remember one of the largest drawbacks to technology is the rapid decline of support and the ever increasingly short "life" of the technology. Last I checked, paper and ink hadn't really had all that much of an improvement and still work just fine. Uh, kids? You still know that paper and ink are for writing, right?

Fun little items, but what is their longevity? iPod and iPhone have already started their,what is it now, 4th generation devices? Well, when the electricity goes out and the towers fall, don't come looking to borrow my paper and ink. Get your own.