Point-and-click will replace lick-and-flip as eBooks go mainstream

If you think the discoveries and advancements of the last 10 years, including the Human Genome Project and the Internet, have been sufficiently exploited, think again. There is another revolution under way in the realm of information media, and it goes by the name of eBooks — digital reading material that you view with an eBook reading device.

According to a Microsoft press release, www.barnesandnoble.com has recently created an eBook superstore that will provide millions of customers the opportunity to download thousands of eBooks that utilize the Microsoft Reader software. This is Microsoft's way of creating an on-screen computer reading experience that rivals the traditional paper-based book.

This collaboration, between barnesandnoble.com — the world's second-largest online distributor of books — and Microsoft is "a concrete declaration of support by two industry leaders for the future of eBooks," according to Steve Riggio, vice chairman of Barnes & Noble. Riggio said he foresees a "time in the not-too-distant future when there will be electronic versions of virtually every book in print. The technology of Microsoft Reader provides a superior reading experience for existing content and, as importantly, will generate an exciting wave of electronic publishing that will go far beyond books." In other words, before long, eBooks will be as prevalent as e-mail.

Skeptics, however, have not been muffled. The average consumer, they claim, will not want a replacement for the paperback anytime soon. Paper and ink are easier on the eyes and more convenient to handle than a computer screen. Furthermore, what could be easier than flipping open a book to the section you want, jotting notes in the margin and making a "dog-ear" to save your place?

While these criticisms have some validity in regard to the current state of eBooks, this is all about to change. Technology gurus are working on solutions to every one of the complaints mentioned above.

First, on April 19, a new family of personal digital assistants — think Palm Pilots — called Pocket PCs will be launched by Microsoft and its collaborating partners. The most unique feature of the Windows-powered Pocket PC is the inclusion of Microsoft Reader which is supposed to mimic, for the very first time, the experience of reading text on printed paper.

If Microsoft Reader software is as effective as its proponents claim, it will no longer be true that paper and ink are easier on the eyes. According to Dick Brass, vice president of technology development at Microsoft, "With Reader software, consumers really will be able to carry a library in their pocket. A typical Pocket PC will be able to store hundreds of books, from today's latest titles to long-revered literary classics."

Second, the annoyance of reading off a glass screen is about to be reduced significantly as well. The new eBook reading devices are extremely light with a screen resolution three times better than a standard monitor's. But suppose you are a peculiarly inflexible person, and you just know your eyes cannot acclimate to reading from a screen. Though you may have to wait a little longer, technology will soon allow you to enjoy eBooks too. The company E Ink has developed a product called electronic ink that shatters the "glass curtain" between electronic information and its reader. Its ultimate goal is to create high-resolution electronic displays so thin that they can be bound together like a paper book.

The potential of eBooks and their companion technology is virtually limitless. Its benefits are particularly enticing for the Princeton student. Imagine the following scenario: Instead of waiting in line at the U-Store to lug home 200 pounds of books, you click on to barnesandnoble.com and download all the textbooks you need onto your eBook reading device. You'll say fare thee well to those backbreaking walks to Firestone and those inconvenient trips to Pequod. Professors will be able to customize downloadable reading packets for their students on the course Website. Moreover, books will never be out-of-print.

On your eBook reading device, you can store all your books for class, if not all the books you own. You will be able to search your Shakespeare for every instance of the word "death," add bookmarks to those readings you want to skip over until reading period, place cross-referenced hyperlinks or margin notes next to Plato's dialogues, look up any word you do not know in an electronic dictionary and include sound, animation and videos within the books themselves.

Despite all the apparent advantages of the eBook, some of you will still be reluctant to accept this new technology. Remember, however, that when the steam-powered locomotive was introduced to British passengers in the first third of the 19th century, skeptics worried that traveling more than 30 miles per hour would significantly harm passengers' health. Yet business technology has a way of overcoming even the most fervent worries. Therefore, in the months ahead, prepare yourself for another wave of useful, revolutionary technology like the eBook. Don't resist it — embrace it. The future is as promising as ever. Jeff Wolf is from Chevy Chase, Md. He can be reached at jeffwolf@princeton.edu.