So here we are in 2010.  Technology seems to be the ‘it’ topic right now.  From tons of sources lately I have heard things like, don’t buy external hard drives, back up online, no more cds and dvds, everything needs to be digital, and of course, move over paper books, e-books are here. 

          This article I found was interesting because it made some really interesting points about these changes.  It brings up a very good point that there is a huge advantage of paper books vs e-books.  Much bigger than cds and dvds.  I still am all about buying mine but I get why people don’t.  I still feel better about buying physical cds because it feels more like supporting tons of people.  For one example, I sorta dated a kid that was a photographer and did album layouts.  I love seeing his work and actually having it verses seeing it on a screen.  Sorry, I’m getting off topic.  I get distracted when talking about music because I’m so passionate about everything that involves it.

          Anyways, this article reminded me of a point that was made in the book Dewey by Vicki Myron.  “Books have survived television, readio, talking pictures, circulars (early magazines), dailies (early newspapers), Punch and Judy shows, and Shakespeare’s plays.  They have survived World War II, the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death, and the fall of the Roman Empire.  They even survived the Dark Ages, when almost no one could read and each book had to be copied by hand.  They aren’t going to be killed off by the Internet.”

          I fell in love with this paragraph when I read it.  Myron is making such a true point.  Books are not going anywhere.  Maybe e-books might have their place but they are not going to replace the real thing. 

          Plus come one, is there anything better than curling up with a good book.  A cold digital device is never going to have that feeling.  It is the romance of reading a book on the beach or by the fire,  the adventure of having a book to thumb through when you are on vacation, the prestige of sitting in a coffee shop reading an intellectual books, it is having bookshelfs full of books that you take pride in knowing that you have read; those are a few things that make a book special.  Technology is great (I make a living off it) but some things are perfect as they are.

          So I happen to work at T-Mobile currently.  In the past I have worked for Verizon, AT&T/Cingular, and Sprint.  I tend to know what’s what in the cellular world so this news caught my attention today.  Today AT&T announced that they will carry an electonical reading device next year.  Hmm, sounds like Kindle, which uses Sprint signal, might have some competition.

          First off, this device is aimed for people wanting to be able to read documents in a better format than the current ones you see on data phones like the iPhone and Blackberry.  I can see how this would be a product that could be popular.  The store I work at caters to many professionals from some of the biggest US companies.  The way documents are viewed is a question I get asked about every day.   This new product will be the first of it’s kind to be available at cellular stores. 

          I am assuming that like the Kindle, clients will be able to subscribe to magazines and newspapers.  This would be something else that would appeal to professional clients.  Many times major companies have people from all different countries working for them.  Want to have the paper from back home sent to you?  Why not?  Unlike the Kindle, this will also work oversees when AT&T has coverage.

          It will be interesting to see how book sales do on this device.  It is not the primary purpose so I am curious about if the advertising will include the fact that e-books can be purchased.  I would imagine it will be something the sales people will be aware of and told to bring up during the sale but it might not be something that they concentrate on.   Since the books will be available through purchase from Barnes and Noble, it will almost seem like most of the advertising will come from their side.

          With Sprint and AT&T getting into the e-book business, it will be interesting to see if T-Mobile and Verizon get into the game as well.