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What an ebook is can be explained quickly. Nowadays, books no longer have to be printed on paper; they are also available in digital form.
Digital books: What is an ebook?
E-books are becoming increasingly popular. E-book stands for electronic book and is a digital version of a book that you can read on special devices or apps. Digital books offer you many advantages:
- An ebook is basically a file that contains the text and often also images from a book.
- To use ebooks, you need an ebook reader, a smartphone, or simply a PC. E-readers are specially designed and optimized for ebooks. There is now a wide range of different manufacturers and models to choose from. Well-known examples include the versions from Amazon (Kindle) or alternatives such as Tolino or Kobo.
- If you want to read the e-book on your smartphone or tablet, you will need apps such as Kindle, Tolino, or Apple Books. Reading on a computer or laptop is done using special reading software or a web browser.
- The e-book itself is a file that is played back using e-book readers. You can use the touch display or page-turning buttons to flip through the book, set bookmarks, underline things, and add comments.
- These devices are now also available with color displays, so you can read not only books but also comics on them. Some e-readers can even play audiobooks.
- The latest e-reader models now offer many practical extras. For example, there are color displays that are ideal for comics, cookbooks, or children’s books. Many devices can also play audiobooks and are waterproof. Cloud synchronization automatically saves bookmarks and notes on all devices.
- You can always download multiple books to an eReader. This saves space and weight in your luggage when traveling. The various devices have different storage capacities.
