This brief, four-page paper that concerns reading online provides a useful historical summary and a description of the “requirements for e-book devices to support office work.” The conclusion of the historical review states:

Slavish imitation of books and paper documents is neither necessary nor sufficient to make e-book devices indispensible. Instead it is the availability of online content and the ability to bring the computer’s power to bear on various aspects of reading that will determine the long-term viability of this class of hardware.

In the office, reading devices should allow one to engage in “annotating, comparing, searching, taking notes, sharing, and quoting.”

The paper concludes with a comparison of Kindle and iLiad along these characteristics, as well as “reading” and “mobility.” Each application has notable strengths and weaknesses. A concluding list of references finishes this informative and compact paper. Golovchinsky asserts that the “true value of online reading lies in supporting activities beyond reading per se.”