incrediBILL - 9:06 am on Jan 8, 2013 (gmt 0)

Low cost tablets still don't solve the problem with being power hungry and there are also very low cost e-readers. Dedicated e-readers have the advantage of low power requirements and a very long battery life which I think will be a requirement for anyone needing an actual book, like a student, or maybe as libraries start going all digital, etc.

If you wanted to give a kid in a 3rd world country, where electricity is spotty to start, all the books he'd ever need for school K-12, one e-reader and a solar charger would do the trick.

Personally, I prefer reading the lovely Nexus 7 tablet screen over the pasty looking e-reader screen, but that's just me.

I would have thought that many wear them as a fashion statement.

Yes. It's nice to be able to gloat that you can not only afford to know what time it is, but you can do it in 18K gold. People that don't wear watches constantly asking the time really annoy me. Asking "Could you tell me the time?" might get my favorite reply "TIME TO BUY A DAMN TIMEX!" as I walk off.