ebook readers

The other day I walked into Barnes & Noble in Boston, and there was the Nook sales desk front and center.

Being a gadget geek, it screamed for me to come over and check it out, and I did not resist the siren's call.

I picked up one of the two display units off of the counter and began asking questions.

Mike Elgan, the veteran technology journalist, mused last week in a Computerworld article that eBook readers would make lousy gifts.

I don't necessarily agree with all of Elgan's points, but it got me thinking about how useful a one-trick device is for users.

If you think about it, we began to solve the problem of carrying multiple devices with the iPhone.

When interface guru Jakob Nieslen reported on the Kindle 2 usability last March, he pointed out it was great for books, but not much other content.

Why is this significant? Two recent reports suggest that the eBook Reader could move beyond a simple device for reading books, and could become so much more.