Can e-books win global appeal?

Maybe, maybe not. "Reading devices developed especially for e-books should provide a pleasant reading experience," says Gudrun Bolduan of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, quoted in a piece in the Bangkok Post.

Rumor has it that devices like Amazon's Kindle and Sony's digital Reader – now on sale only in the United States – will soon be available worldwide. The Bangkok Post states that, "One indicator of this was Sony's presentation of its Reader at Berlin's IFA electronics show this past August," although,  "the company did not name a price or a precise release date."

But a piece in today's Toronto Star suggests that some readers remain skeptical.

The Sony Reader was on display at a book fair there yesterday. "There is something about turning the pages and the discovery," explained one reader as she turned down a chance at a free Sony Reader. "I don't know if just hitting a button compares."