Rocket eBook Pro

E-readers' e-roundup

E-books: Now in the careerist's bookbag

October 9, 2000
Web posted at: 2:23 p.m. EDT (1823 GMT)

(CNN) -- My chiropractor says I should do less reading.

It’s not that he doesn’t like books. It’s just that the collection of books, magazines and press releases I usually carry over my shoulder seems to have a negative impact on my L5 vertebra. (That’s in your lower back, the lumbar).

Wait 'til he hears about this. On my way to the office today, I had 150 books slung over my shoulder. Not only did they fit into my little black Tumi computer bag but they had a total weight of 22 ounces. That’s because all my reading is in a Rocket eBook Pro.

Some people who read a lot say they’d never consider a device like the eBook. The feel, the look, and the smell of a real book is a big part of the experience, I guess. But they really ought to pick up something like the Rocket and give it a try. It probably looks better than they've imagined, with a brilliant screen that looks fantastic outdoors and can be read indoors with its built-in backlight.

My daughter can read it in the car at night and my wife can read it in bed at night, without having to click on a bedside lamp and interrupt my snoring.

It also allows you the ability to carry along dozens of your favorite digital books and magazines. That’s something my chiropractor would never allow in the world of pulp fiction.

For business people who travel, the world of ebooks gives you the ability to carry with you all kinds of important reading materials you can access on the plane.

MESSAGE BOARDS
	Are you doing the packhorse career? Could getting business reading and books into one e-book gadget lessen the load? Tell us if this or other gadgets are helping you go for it in your career.

You can even translate your Microsoft Word documents into the Rocket eBook format and have them with you as well. Memos, speeches, research, all boiled down to 22 ounces for a price of $269.

Rocket , with more than 3,500 titles available at Barnes & Noble, isn't the only eBook on the block. SoftBook Press has a 2.9-pound reader that’s about the size of a magazine. It even has a built-in modem. No computer hookups to worry about. All you do is plug a phone line into the $600 SoftBook Reader, buy the books you need, and wait for them to download. Your books are kept in your online account just in case you need to download them again.

Author Stephen King has made a couple of well-publicized splashes into digital ink so we decided to download one of his regular books, in the SoftBook format. We chose "Hearts in Atlantis" (1999, Scribner), a $20 e-book. We downloaded it in eight minutes. For comparison, it took me 38 minutes and $27, with tax, to travel to Crown Books and haul the 523-page hardcover home. Not to mention our Chicago gas prices of $1.60 per gallon.

Franklin's EBookman

Both Rocket and SoftBook have been purchased by Gemstar, the people who provide many on-screen TV program guides and the same people who just bought TV Guide. They promise two new e-books this fall that'll be smaller and lighter than the current Rocket and SoftBook models and with more capacity, too.

Finally, the Microsoft Reader is a digital publishing format that really knocks me out. Their Clear Type technology gives you text that looks better than a lot of paperback books. The reader can be downloaded online for free, is available in all the new PocketPC products, and will soon boast thousands of titles online through Barnes & Noble and other sources.

What's more, Franklin Electronics is soon to launch a handheld gadget that combines Microsoft Reader with the ability to play audio books and MP3 music. Look for the $129-$229 eBookman this fall.

And keep cranking out the e-books, Mr. King. Giving up paperbacks for pixels is just a little bit down the road.

Ed Curran has covered the world of high-tech for more than a dozen years and is the publisher of Technogadgets® -- www.technogadgets.com. In addition to his weekly column here at CNN.com/career, watch for Curran's reports on CNN television.

The pros and cons of e-books
September 25, 2000
Survey: Few believe e-books will replace paper versions
September 21, 2000
It's good to be King
July 25, 2000
Franklin writes a new chapter in e-books
June 30, 2000
One for the e-books
June 27, 2000
Tech titans turn to 'The Fountainhead' for comfort
June 13, 2000

Rocket eBook
SoftBook
eBookman
Barnes & Noble's eBook Store
Tumi luggage

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.