Fiddling with a Kindle Keyboard, i can not help but marvel how much water has passed underneath the bridge since 2009 when Ereaders started becoming popular in Nigeria. This is 2012, what exactly has changed?

When the ereaders started trickling in, many saw the end of literature as we know it, that the Kindle, Nook, and other “e readers” are ushering in a new age, that will see the end of physical books, and magazines. Even the environmentalists proclaimed it as the messiah, no more felling of trees. But has this really been the case?

My write-up about Ereaders in 2010 summed up effectively the important role the device was built to play. But why has these devices recorded increasingly less success? Yes, the iPad happened. The iPad and the myriad of tablets effectively changed the destiny of this once sought after device.

Man’s search for mobile convergence has left very little room for dedicated devices, and unfortunately, the dedicated ereaders have been hit badly. Due to cost considerations and convenience, many would rather have their ereaders combined with their phones, computers, etc in one device. And this, an average tablet does very well.

While the forecast of those that foresee the demise of physical books as we know it is still largely in play, it is the ereaders in tablets that are replacing the physical books and not the dedicated devices.

However, reading “The Phantom Of The Opera” on a Kindle Keyboard, it is still obvious to me that this device still thrashes the competition for what it was intended for – Good, old art of reading.

Here’s why;

– No Glare!

– Eink technology : Read crisp text without eye strain

– Reading under sunlight? Sure thing!

– Built it Text-to-speech. Not your run-off-the-mill robotic voice available for free on most devices.