Wall Street Journal reporter Lee Gomes recently wrote an article about reading an e-book on his Blackberry and, unlike several other reviews of the e-book experience, his was actually quite favorable (you can read it here).

A heated debate has raged for years about whether or not the printed page is a thing of the past, from newspapers to magazines to books. However, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of these deaths have been greatly exaggerated – or are, at the very least, premature.

Two recent developments, however, have pushed on-screen reading back to the forefront and signal an interesting opportunity for e-book readers.

First, there’s Apple’s introduction of the iphone, which got the masses thinking about what’s possible, including reading, on an easily portable device.

Perhaps more important has been the introduction of other new devices such as the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader, and they’re really turning heads!

Both are small and light, both use new technology that makes each device read more like paper than a screen, and the Kindle allows fast downloads wherever cell service is available. Gomes even mentioned in his WSJ article that it was much better ergonomically to read something on his BlackBerry screen than it was to hold a book.

The Kindle is currently the most popular e-book reader option. While it currently works exclusively with content delivered via Amazon, it’s helping to rapidly expand e-book readership, and like a rising tide floats all boats, that’s good for all of us.

smartphones, which use the Kindle, are equipped with complete operating systems that determine what kinds of functions and applications are available for that device. They provide a convenient way to carry several hand-held digital devices in one body. They allow you to easily sync e-mail accounts so you can get e-mail messages as they arrive on your phone, but they also allow you to view e-mail attachments and read e-books on the web.

Clearly, this is all good news for e-book readers/ publishers and smartphone owners. As more and more consumers become acclimated to reading a variety of materials on a screen rather than on a printed page, and as PDAs and other smartphone devices make it more and more convenient, the market for digitally delivered books, magazines, and newsletters across multiple platforms will only continue to grow.

Suffice it to say, “smartphones are so smart” as evidenced by the fact that these feature-packed mobile phones are becoming so pervasive, so overwhelmingly useful, that they could very easily become the default physical interface for ubiquitous computing applications, providing the foundation for a new, interaction paradigm. Try saying that three times real fast!

Tags: gadgets, smartphone, mobile, people finder, pocket pc

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