Stephen Green and Ed Christie are complaining about Kindle, the new eBook device from Amazon. Green writes:

One of the reasons ebooks have yet to take off is, they just aren’t comfortable. And I mean to read, not to hold. (Although there’s certainly nothing about the Kindle that makes you want to reach out and hold it, either.) The problem is DPI. A good book is printed at about 300 dots per inch. At that level, letters are sharp and contrasty and easy on the eyes. Kindle’s screen runs about 160 DPI — easy to read for short periods, but not good enough for a late night page turning session.

While I agree, I wonder if the biggest barrier for ebooks isn’t the book itself. The market for these devices is the digitally saavy reader who wants to have an iPod equivalent for their literary habit. Problem is, the generation most likely to use this device is the generation least likely to turn to the printed word for information.

Travesty though this may be, the reality is that we’re becoming a graphically obsessed society. Those out there who are reading, like me, are probably just a little bit sentimental about the old -school approach, not-to-mention in love with our book collections.