Music has changed forms: Vinyl records became cassette tapes; cassette tapes became CDs. Then CDs began to be replaced with MP3s. But books have maintained their traditional form. Until now.
Monday, amazon.com began shipping its latest electronic book-reading device, the Kindle 2. The Amazon Kindle 2 is on an international 3G network that allows users to download and read electronic books, newspapers, magazines and blogs on the go.
Electronic book devices, like Kindle and Sony eBook Reader, seem to be the latest trend in the world of technology.
"I think it's really going to change the way book reading occurs," said Amy Buhler, a librarian at the UF Marston Science Library.
Drew Herdener, an amazon.com spokesperson, said in an e-mail that the Kindle 2 is available on an international network, allowing people around the world to read books in English.
Herdner said printed book sales have not suffered since the Kindle's appearance in late 2007.
For some people, an e-book is no replacement for the real thing.
Jennifer Kuntz, a librarian at the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA), said she got a Kindle before going on an extended trip because it was more convenient than traveling with printed books.
"It serves a purpose in that it enables me to have several books at one time," she said. "But there's something about reading a real book with real pages."
Kuntz said while the immediate downloads make electronic reading devices convenient, it is this is also one of the drawbacks of Kindle because avid readers like her can end up spending too much.
Kuntz doesn't believe that Kindle and other electronic book readers will ever cause books to disappear completely.
"I don't think it'll replace books," she said. "I think it'll only supplement them."
