Ebooks explained

What are ebooks?

Ebooks are electronic books, where the text, and sometimes pictures, of a printed book have been digitised into an electronic format.

How do I read an ebook?

Ebooks can be read on computers, such as laptops and netbooks, many mobile phones and on dedicated devices generally called ebook readers.

What formats of ebook are available?

There are varying formats of ebooks available, with the most common being:

• PDF - Adobe Acrobat PDF documents
• AZW - Amazon Kindle format
• BbeB/LRF - Sony Reader format
• ePub - A popular open standard created by the International Digital Publishing Forum

Not all ebook readers are compatible with all ebook file types, so check carefully before purchasing an ebook reader or downloading ebooks online.

What are the advantages of ebooks?

• If you’re looking for a particular word or phrase in the text, it’s easy to search an ebook.
• Ebooks can be cross-referenced using hyperlinks.
• Ebook readers allow you to customise how you view ebooks, by letting you change the typeface and font size – so any ebook can become a large-print book if you’re visually impaired.
• The file size of ebooks is relatively small, so an average ebook reader can store hundreds or thousands of ebooks on its internal memory or on memory cards.
• Ebooks take up very little physical space, and are therefore ideal for travel, such as holiday reading.
• Bookmarks and auto-resume functions mean that it’s easy to find your place when reading an ebook.
• All fiction published prior to 1900 is in the public domain, so can be made available for free download and distribution. And ebooks never go out of print.

What are the disadvantages of ebooks?

• You'll need a battery-powered or mains-powered device to read them. Therefore if there’s no power, or the battery runs out, your won’t be able to read an ebook.
• Ebooks are often, particularly for new releases, little cheaper to buy than the printed versions.

Which? magazine

What is Electronic Ink?

Electronic ink, or eInk, is a special type of electronic display. Somewhat similar to regular ink, eInk is unique in three primary ways: it is made up of many tiny capsules, these capsules are filled with ink, and the ink contains white particles that have a negative charge. These three properties allow an electronic ink display to be changed on demand.

eInk can be used on many of the same surfaces as regular ink. For example, e ink might be applied to a piece of thin plastic containing many small cells. The cells are connected to microelectronics in the sheet, and the ink covers the entire surface of the sheet. The microelectronics create a positive or negative charge in each of the capsules. A negative charge beneath a capsule causes the particles in the ink to go to the top of the capsule, covering its top surface and making it appear white. A positive charge attracts the particles to the bottom of the capsule, allowing the dark ink to show and making the capsule take on the colour of the ink.

Another type of eInk is one in which the capsules are filled with tiny balls that are dark on one half and light on the other half. Electrical charges make the balls rotate so that either the dark side or the light side of the balls face up. The capsules in either type are very small at only 100 microns across, so approximately 100,000 of these capsules will fit into a square inch. Developing e ink displays is very difficult, because it is necessary to use extremely small electronic components in order to keep the display close to the thickness of regular paper while maintaining durability, flexibility, and strength.

One obvious use of this technology is digital books, or eBooks. Digital books could be displayed with e ink, allowing readers to store many books on a single device while creating a reading experience that is very similar to reading regular ink printed on regular paper. E ink could also be used for newspaper subscriptions, displaying records and files in offices, or for a variety of other uses. An advantage of e ink displays over the backlit displays of cell phones, PDA’s, and similar other electronic devices is that they consume much less energy because they require power only when the display is changed. In addition, they are easier on the human eye because backlighting strains the reader's eyes.

Electronic ink is much crisper than LCD displays, rivalling printed text on white paper. It is easier on the eyes than a display, and you can curl up in bed with a book minus a power source. Once set, the charged particles in electronic ink stay put. Electronic ink can be read in low lighting conditions and from nearly any angle. The scalable technology requires a minuscule amount of power to change particle charge, perfect for large commercial applications. One of the goals in developing electronic ink is to provide a medium that can "coat" any surface - turning anything into a virtual display, including paper.

A thin film of mini-transistors forms the laminated back-grid, which supplies charge to the microcapsules. The idea is to make electronic paper thin enough to roll up under your arm, or unroll onto the wall of a building. With an embedded wireless uplink implanted in the back of a sign or the spine of a book, for example, electronic ink can be changed via a simple wireless signal.

Though electronic ink is not expected to completely replace standard ink and paper, it is expected to revolutionise the publishing industry while saving untold amounts of paper. Current efforts are being made to produce full colour ink capable of high-resolution graphics.

4 steps to buying eBooks

There are 4 steps to buying eBooks:

1. Install the software you need
2. Buy and download an eBook
3. Put your eBook into your eBook Library
4. Transfer your eBook to your eReader

Step 1: Install the software you need

Prepare your computer to store eBooks:

To read eBooks on your eReader, you first need to install some software to your computer.

• eBook Library (only applicable for the Sony Reader)
• Adobe Digital Editions - suppors PDF and EPUB, a reflow-centric XHTML-based format

Install eBook Library

• To install eBook Library onto your computer use the CD-ROM that came with your Sony eReader or Download here for PC and Mac here (you will be taken to the Sony website).

Simply follow the installation instructions and your eBook Library should now be on your desktop in: Start/ All Programs/ Reader/ eBook Library.

Installing Adobe Digital Editions

You need to install this software in order to be able to download eBooks to your computer. Adobe Digital Editions enables you to download and read DRM (digital rights management) protected items from online retailers and libraries. It makes it easy to transfer protected eBooks between multiple computers and mobile devices. To enable these features, you need to authorise each of your machines with your adobe ID. Authorising your computer enables you to read protected items that you download with Digital Editions on up to six computers and mobile devices. It also enables you to restore your eBooks from backup should you ever need to re-install your operating system.

• Install Adobe Digital Editions here (you will be taken to a page on the Adobe website)

Activate Digital Editions when prompted - you'll need to be online

You'll need your Adobe ID for this step. Register with Adobe if you haven't already

Authorise your computer to protect your digital content. You can authorise up to 6 computers with the same Adobe ID

Accept the user agreement

Your eBooks are assigned to your Adobe ID, not your computer so by activating:

• you can transfer eBooks onto up to 6 (authorised) machines
• your eBooks are protected if your computer should break For more information, visit Adobe's Digital Editions Help

Step 2: Buy and download an eBook

1. You can buy and download eBooks from the following recommended merchants: Waterstone's, Borders, Blackwell Online.
2. Browse eBooks or search to locate the eBook you would like to buy
3. Buy online and you will usually receive an order confirmation email following by a separate email containing a link to download your eBook.
4. Click the Download link in the email.
5. Your eBook will be saved on your computer in: My documents/ My Digital Editions

Step 3: Put your eBook into your eBook library

1. Open your eBook Library (in Start/ All Programs/ Reader/ eBook Library)
2. Select File/ Import Files.
3. Go to My Documents/ My Digital Editions.
4. Double click to see all your eBooks and double click on the eBook you want.
5. Your eBook should now be in your eBook Library. Check by going to your eBook Library and clicking Status.

Step 4: Transfer your eBook to your eReader

1. Connect your eReader to your computer with the USB cable.
2. Check the eReader symbol is showing in the list on the left-hand side of your eBook Library.
3. If it's not, check the USB cable is connected properly and the Reader is turned on.
4. Left click the title of the eBook you want to transfer and drag it into your eBook Library and drop it onto the eReader symbol.
5. Your eReader will see that an eBook has been added to the library and automatically transfer it.