Why isn't there an iPod for electronic books? And where's the e-book equivalent of an iTunes store? Last month Sony launched two products in the United States that it hopes will address both issues. The Sony Reader is a paperback-sized device with a 15 cm (5.9 inch) screen that can store about 80 e-books, or hundreds on a plug-in memory card.

The US$350 Reader is joined by a new online service, Connect, which offers more than 10,000 e-books from publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins and Harlequin.
Coming of Age?

So is the e-book market finally coming of age? Nick Bogaty, executive director of the International Digital Publishers Forum, says: "I've always said that four factors need to be in place for the market to take off. You need a device that makes reading pleasurable, content at the right price, a great selection of content and e-books that are easy to use. We're definitely getting closer to these goals."

On the face of it, an e-book is an attractive proposition, not least because it can offer features difficult or impossible to find in a printed book, such as hyperlinks, multimedia content, cut and paste, high degrees of interactivity and updated content. It can be downloaded and read instantly, and publishers don't have to transport huge volumes of books around the country and store them in warehouses.

It can be read on a PC, a PDA Get the Facts on BlackBerry Business Solutions, a smartphone or a dedicated device, like Sony's Reader. However, despite these benefits, even Bogaty admits that e-books are still a cottage industry. The U.S. market was worth about $15 million in 2005 and sales for the first half of the year totalled only $907,000. In 2004, U.S. firms published 2.3 billion books worldwide; only 0.1 percent of them were e-books.

The e-book sector has faced four major hurdles: construction, cost, content and culture...

I've tried reading books online and there is just something missing. Maybe it is the bright screen, but I know that nothing can ever replace reading a paperback novel in bed by candlelight. If I had the choice, I'd go out and buy the paperback and leave my PDA for keeping track of my busy social schedule.