editions per year , and Rogers has opted to stop printing Moneysense , Flare , Canadian Business and Sportsnet altogether . Hello ! Canada , the popular grocery store impulse buy , will remain their only weekly print publication .
E-books have become more prevalent , with almost every new release available in both print and electronic format . Many self-published books are only offered in a digital version , bypassing print altogether . Libraries are providing an increasing array of e-books and there are countless sources online for free digital material . Google , digitizing public domain books since 2004 , has a library of over 25 million titles ; they plan to continue to scan an estimated 130 million titles worldwide .
But what if you don ’ t particularly enjoy reading on an electronic device ?
A 2013 German study found that readers of all ages subjectively reported a preference for paper over both e-readers ( that feature ‘ e-ink ’, a proprietary technology that creates the look of paper ) and tablets ( that use LCD colour technology ), preferring print to digital format in terms of pleasantness of reading . The study found no evidence that reading comprehension differed from one delivery system to another .
Preferences aside , elderly readers showed a measurable benefit from tablet reading with respect to speed and reading difficulty as measured objectively by brain activity and eye tracking . It is proposed that increased contrast makes reading by tablet more efficient for older readers .
The study concluded that there might be a cultural bias toward the paper medium . This bias may change over time as more people are exposed to reading via e-devices .
If e-books were simply linear , digital versions of paper books , there would be little to entice readers to make the move , but with the addition of interactive discussions , highlighting and note taking , e-books have more people taking notice .
The ability to read in the dark as well as alter font size and screen brightness may make reading on electronic devices a winner over standard print . So for those planning to make the move to reading on a tablet or e-reader , which is the best choice ?
Tablets support enhanced books that may have embedded audio or video and don ’ t limit access to a particular bookstore or format . They generally have more features than the less costly e-readers , and they ’ ve become far more affordable in recent years . A tablet allows all-purpose access to the Internet , mail , apps , music and games . Apple ’ s iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab are among the best sellers in this category , but there are less expensive options .
Supporters of e-readers such as the Nook , Kindle or Kobo extol the virtues of e-ink , claiming that it provides a more comfortable reading experience than the screen of a tablet . In situations where there is glare such as in sunlight , e-ink wins , particularly if the device features an anti-glare coating .
A 2012 study published in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics concluded that there is no difference in either subjectively or objectively measurable fatigue between e-readers and tablets . It ’ s the image quality that truly matters , so trying out a few different devices at the store would be a good idea when buying .
For readers who read books with lots of pictures or graphics such as cookbooks , the best choice would be a tablet . To read novels , a less expensive e-reader might do the trick . An e-reader does not have video games or ways to check social media , but it is a nice , lightweight device capable of carrying hundreds of books on vacation .
Personally , I read most of my news and magazines online , but I read at least 75 percent of my books in print . As the world increasingly embraces this new form of publishing , what about you ? How will you adapt to e-everything ?
news & views WINTER 2016 | 51