General Terms
- E-Text- Any text-based information that is available in a digitally format that has the ability to be read by electronic means.
- E-Reader- An electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals.
- E-Text Format- The file type in which the e-text is presented. The file type dictates the capabilities of the e-text (i.e. Image support, Sound Support, Interactivity…).
- E-Text Platforms- The operating system on the device (such as windows 7 or apple OS X are operating systems for most desktop computers).
- Aggregator- Refers to a company that collects a specific type of information (E-Text) from multiple sources in order to distribute that information.
Portable E-Readers
A list of the most popular types of E-Readers
- Tablet-A portable personal computer equipped with a touch screen as the primary input device
- Slate-A type of tablet that doesn’t have an external keyboard.(i.e. iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Blackberry Playbook)
- Convertible-A type of tablet that can be transformed so that it has a keyboard.
- Laptop-A personal computer designed for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit.
- E-Book- A specialized devices that does one thing well, display E-Text. Specifically, they tend to have the right screen size, battery lifespan, lighting and weight. However, these devices do not have the wide range of functions as other devices.(i.e. Amazon Kindle, Nook)
E-Text Formats
A list of the most popular E-Text formats
.PDF(Portable Document Format)- PDF documents can easily be viewed and printed by users on a variety of computer platforms.- EPUB- Contains the most features of any E-Text format including support for images, tables, sound, interactivity, and embedded annotation. EPUB is also supported by most E-Readers, the main exclusion is the Amazon Kindle.
- Kindle(.azw)- With the launch of the Kindle eBook reader, Amazon.com created the format .azw. The Kindle format is now available on apple and android platforms.
- Multimedia EBook- Media and book content that utilizes a combination of different book content formats. Multimedia EBooks include a combination of text, audio, images, video, and/or interactive content formats.
E-Text Platforms
A list of the most popular E-Text Platforms
- Android 2.2- Owned by Google and has an open marketplace for Apps. Can also run Flash based web pages.
- Windows 7- Similar to the windows OS used for Desktop and Laptop PCs.
- Apple iOS4- Can only run on Apple Devices and has a restricted marketplace for Apps. Can’t run Flash based flash pages.
- Blackberry Tablet OS- Created for the Blackberry Playbook Tablet. Supports Flash based web pages.







