E-book readers are our all-in-one paper today. In recent years, millions of people find them to be a convenient alternative to paperback novels as well as newspapers. And not surprisingly, a number of publishing companies have started to change platforms, hoping to reach more readers. In particular, Amazon has enjoyed the top spot in total e-book sales, thanks to the ever popular Kindle. Being the largest online retail store, it also offers newspaper subscriptions. Additionally, it is important to note that in the last quarter of 2011 Amazon decided to go with the most aggressive entry-level price point in the industry, making the fourth generation Kindle the least pricey of all e-book readers when it first hit the market.
Did you know that technologies utilized in the development of e-book readers have been around for decades? The display technology present in the first e-book readers was many years in the making. That being said, the idea of a mobile electronic device capable of simulating ink on ordinary paper did not take off until late 2000s. E-book readers were practically popularized by Amazon when it introduced the Kindle in 2007. Supported by an extensive online resource via Amazon.com, e-books and readers has become a huge hit since the arrival of the Kindle.
While Amazon has not really obliterated competition, it continues to overwhelm the market. As a matter of fact, it takes the largest chunk of the quantity market shares in e-book and e-book readers for more than three years. Late last year when it released the fourth generation Kindle, its earnings doubled due to strong sales. Amazon chose a price point of $79 for Kindle and $99 for Kindle Touch, both of which have proven to appeal to large population. Analysts predict that ownership of Kindle will continue to increase in 2012 primarily because of the price.
More importantly, the Kindle gets it right when it comes to the technologies that it utilizes. The Kindle is the first e-book reader to take advantage of E-ink Pearl, which is the most advanced E-ink display today. It features a high-contrast E-ink that is perfectly readable even in direct sunlight. In other words, its display reads like real ink on ordinary paper. The competition is not really far behind in technology. But content is one of Amazon's strengths as it has the biggest online library of books, magazines, and newspapers. For one, Kindle owners get to read thousands of titles that are out of copyright for free.
The development of Neonode infrared technology has led to the production of e-book readers with touchscreen display. While the screen itself is not responsive to touch, infrared sensors located inside the borders of the screen detect the position and movement of fingers on the screen. This is the fundamental technology behind all touchscreen readers released in 2011. What sets Kindle Touch apart from the rest is its dual-touch technology, which is also present in a similar Sony Reader. Unlike the e-book reader from Sony, Kindle Touch takes the dual-touch technology to the next level with its X-ray search feature. In addition to the fact that it improves on the user interface, the dual-touch feature of Kindle Touch also enables its users to pull up information related to the book, such as biographies, maps, articles, and the like.