E-books: Craftsmen carry their entire library of up to 20.000 books with them in one handy device. (Photo: © dogachov/123RF.com)
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Digital Crafts - Theme specials
March 2023
Crafts 4.0: Technical books, manuals, and reference works are everyday companions for many craftspeople. E-books make their own libraries particularly mobile. But how can businesses use e-books efficiently in their work?
E-books are becoming increasingly popular in Germany: In a representative Study of the digital association Bitkom in October 2022 37 percent of all respondents stated that they read electronic booksBusinesses should also consider the question "Analog or digital?" – because e-books offer many advantages in everyday life. Instead of heavy paper pages, tradespeople only need Smartphone, tablet or e-book reader to to look up information or a latest specialist books to read.
This allows tradespeople to have their entire library of up to 20.000 books with them in one handy device – in the office, on the construction site, during customer visits, and during their lunch break. Another advantage: new titles can be downloaded Buy digitally online at any time and there are few Ready for download seconds latert.
"Instead of heavy paper pages, tradespeople now only need a smartphone, tablet, or e-book reader to look up information."
The way food is Search for information is much faster in e-books: While in conventional books you have to leaf through aimlessly and "skim" each page, with e-book readers or apps you only need Click on the keyword search. It is also possible to add your own notes or markings to the digital book pages.
The prices of the electronic books are also attractive: Compared to conventional books, the E-book editions sometimes up to 50 percent cheaperHowever, this is offset by the one-time investment in an e-book reader, which currently costs at least 100 euros – but can be significantly more depending on the range of functions.
Current e-book readers are about the size of a book, as thin as a cell phone, and often weigh no more than 200 grams. A large display shows the content, while the touchscreen ensures comfortable operation. Practical: Some E-book readers can also play audio files or Read a book with an electronic voiceIf you choose a waterproof e-reader, you don't have to worry about the technology even outdoors. Dust- and waterproof cases are also available for particularly harsh environments.
The gBiggest plus of e-book readers: Users benefit from very long battery lifeCompared to smartphones or tablets, reading devices use so-called E-Ink technology ("electronic ink"). Despite regular use, they last up to ten weeks without a power outletThis is possible because the displays reflect light like conventional paper – without emitting light themselves. Energy is therefore only required briefly when a page is turned. At the same time, E-Ink technology is considered particularly easy on the eyes and is clearly visible even in sunlight.
A disadvantage of most e-book readers: Colorful content, like pictures, are not possible due to the monochrome displaysHowever, the first E-Ink devices with color display have been available for a few months now, closing this gap. However, development is still in its early stages: More than 4.096 colors are currently not possible, so that the display quality lags far behind smartphones and tablets.
If you do not want to buy or carry around an additional device for reading e-books, you can Alternatively, you can easily read your digital books on smartphones or tablets. With free apps, e-books can be conveniently purchased, read, and managed on Android or iOS. A major advantage of smartphones and tablets: They can also display colorful content or images in high quality, which is a big plus depending on the application – for example with graphic step-by-step instructions.
Anyone who wants to try out the technology as an e-book beginner should first Use your existing tablet with free e-book appsSynchronizing your library with an e-book reader you purchase later is possible at any time, provided the device supports the available formats.
In recent years, a Variety of e-book formats established, some of which cannot be displayed on all devices. Therefore, you should consider in advance, where the E-books can be purchased or borrowed later – and in which format. This is very common ePub format, which has also been supported by Amazon reading devices since mid-2022. Amazon has also developed its own book format (AZW/AZW3), which can only be displayed on self-distributed Kindle devices or via an app. In addition, there are many other Formatsas mobi, PDF, doc, docx, txt or pdbthat can be read on many readers.
Most e-books contain copy protection in the form of Digital Rights Management (DRM)The media is permanently linked to a user and can only be read on a specified number of different devices – often a maximum of six. Due to digital limitations, copying or printing e-books is usually not possible.
What content do you primarily read in your daily life? For books without pictures, e-book readers are a good choice. These are particularly energy-efficient and display text very well. Those who prefer books with color pictures, specialist magazines, or newspapers should use an e-book app on their smartphone or tablet.
The storage capacity should be appropriate for the desired library size. However, only collectors and avid readers will be able to fill the storage space completely: 8 GB can store an average of 5.000 e-books (depending on text length and the number of graphics/images), while 32 GB can archive around 20.000 electronic books.
The size of the display determines the dimensions and weight of the device. For everyday mobility, a smaller display is often the better choice.
If you want to use an e-book reader with E Ink technology in the dark, you should look for an integrated backlight. This should be adjustable to suit the current lighting conditions. However, using the additional light will also drain the battery faster.
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