Buying digital books in a paperback bookstore?
As discussed in an earlier post on the emergence of digital ebooks, reading material no longer needs to be made from paper or even exist in hard copy - it can be 100% digital.
A Dymocks bookstore across the Tasman is trialling touch-screen kiosks, at which customers can download books to a USB stick, DVD or portable device such as an iPod. Dymocks even has their own ebook reader, the iLiad (a nifty electronic notebook and a clever name!). Demand for the ebook devices has been much higher than expected, a trend which bodes well for a digital revolution (or at least an evolution) in book reading.
Kiosks where shoppers can buy ebooks are planned for all Dymocks bookshops in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong, although when this will happen is uncertain. In the meantime, browse New Zealand bookshops online for a great read.
Image from Flickr.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Amazon have recently released a new digital book and news reader called the Kindle which hooks up to the internet via WiFi and downloads blogs, RSS, books and the like. It’s a pity they are only available in the US so far!