What+are+eBooks?

A user viewing an electronic page on an eBook-reading device. An **e-book** (short for **electronic book**, or eBook), also known as a digital book, is an e-text that forms the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed [|book], sometimes restricted with a digital rights management system. An e-book, as defined by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "a book composed in or converted to digital format for display on a computer screen or handheld device ". E-books are usually read on dedicated hardware devices known as e-Readers or e-book devices. Personal computers and some cell phones can also be used to read ebooks.

The Components of an eBook are: 1) a computer or other form of hardware which displays the content, 2) a method of updating information often directly through the Internet from a service provider and 3) at least two forms of computer memory, one for the reader software and one for the content of the device.

In general, eBooks are a cluster of text pages grouped together and stored in a file format. The eBook can be stored as a word file, i.e. a doc file or a pdf file. Many proponents of eBooks, such as Michael Hart of Project Gutenberg, are using "Plain Vanilla ASCII" text when converting standard print to a digital format because it is easily read by virtually any computer and because he predicts that it will be the easiest to upgrade as software and hardware evolves. There are some advanced eBook file formats which brought great changes and easy usability in e-books. Electronic book reader software is required to access content. Software like Adobe Reader helps users to easily read, locate and find the content they want just with few clicks.

media type="youtube" key="-jW6mdzTcrI" height="232" width="326" align="right"Electronic books are accessible via a wide variety of devices, from standalone platforms such as Amazon's Kindle to applications designed for mobile phones, such as Kindle software for iPhones and they are enjoying wide consumer adoption. As screen technology becomes more sophisticated, the experience of reading electronic materials has become more comfortable, increasing the popularity of e-books. Electronic books can be a portable and cost-effective alternative to buying printed books, although most platforms lack features to support advanced reading and editing tasks such as annotation, collaboration, real-time updates, and content remixing. Electronic books have entered the mainstream in the consumer world and are beginning to make inroads on campuses. The potential for education includes the obvious advantages of lowering costs and making it easier to carry the information without heavy textbooks. []