A shortened form of electronic book reader, e-book readers are handheld computer devices like Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s NOOK and Apple’s iPad that make it possible for books in digital form to be viewed and read by users. The technology for e-books and e-book readers has been available in more rudimentary form for more than twenty years, but the popularity of these devices didn t really take off until the Kindle’s introduction in 2009 and the iPad’s introduction in 2010.
While most E-Book Reader (also referred to as Ebook Reader) devices utilize monochrome matte displays to more closely replicate the visual look of reading a physical book, newer (and more expensive) e-book readers like the Kindle Fire and the NOOK Tablet utilize the more typical LCD screens found in notebook computers and tablets in order to provide additional functionality beyond just reading e-books such as Web browsing a viewing multimedia content.
