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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March 1, 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 conducted by the digital association Bitkom in October 2022, 37 percent of all respondents stated that they read electronic books . Businesses should also consider the question "Analog or digital?" – because e-books offer many advantages in everyday practice. Instead of heavy paper documents, tradespeople only need a smartphone, tablet, or e-reader to look up information or read the latest technical books .
This means tradespeople always 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 lunch breaks. Another advantage: New titles can be purchased digitally online at any time and are available for download just seconds later.
"Instead of heavy paper pages, tradespeople now only need a smartphone, tablet, or e-book reader to look up information."
Finding information is also much faster in e-books: While you have to flip aimlessly through traditional books and skim each page, with e-book readers or apps, a single click on the keyword search is all it takes . Furthermore, it's possible to annotate the digital book pages with your own notes or highlights.
The prices of ebooks are also attractive: compared to traditional books, ebooks are sometimes up to 50 percent cheaper . However, this is offset by the one-time investment in an ebook reader, which currently costs at least 100 euros – and depending on the features, considerably more.
Modern e-readers are about the size of a book, as thin as a smartphone, and often weigh no more than 200 grams. A large display shows the content, while the touchscreen ensures comfortable operation. Conveniently, some e-readers can also play audio files or read the book aloud with an electronic voice . Those who opt for a waterproof e-reader don't have to worry about the device even outdoors. For particularly harsh environments, there are also dustproof and waterproof cases available.
The biggest advantage of e-book readers : users benefit from very long battery life . Compared to smartphones or tablets, e-readers use so-called e-ink technology ("electronic ink"). Despite regular use, they can last up to ten weeks without needing to be plugged in . This 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 also clearly visible in sunlight.
One drawback of most e-book readers is that color content , such as images, is not possible due to their monochrome displays . However, for several months now, the first E Ink devices with color display have been available, closing this gap. Development in this area is still in its early stages, though: more than 4.096 colors are currently not possible , meaning that the display quality lags far behind that of smartphones and tablets.
For those who don't want to buy or carry around an additional device for reading ebooks, reading digital books on smartphones or tablets is a simple alternative . Free apps make it easy to buy, read, and manage ebooks on Android or iOS. A major advantage of smartphones and tablets is their ability to display high-quality color content and images , which is a significant benefit depending on the application – for example, with graphical step-by-step instructions.
Those new to e-books who want to try out the technology should first use their existing tablet with free e-book apps . Synchronizing their library with a later purchased e-reader is possible at any time, provided the device supports the available formats.
In recent years, a multitude of e-book formats have become established , some of which cannot be displayed on all devices. Therefore, it's advisable to consider in advance where the e-books will be purchased or borrowed – and in which format. The ePub format is very widespread and has been supported by Amazon e-readers since mid-2022. However, Amazon has also developed its own book format (AZW/AZW3), which can only be displayed on its own Kindle devices or via the app. In addition, there are many other formats , such as mobi, PDF, doc, docx, txt, and pdb , which are readable on many e-readers.
Most ebooks contain copy protection in the form of "Digital Rights Management" (DRM) . This permanently links the media to a user and makes it readable only on a predetermined number of different devices – often a maximum of six. Due to these digital limitations, copying or printing ebooks 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.
HB is now also available digitally! Simply click here and register for the digital HB!
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