[rem736]

i mostly don't buy paper books anymore, but it's an option if it's a collector's item. there are also good reasons to buy reference books in paper format because it is much easier to flip between pages when doing research. other than that, there should be no reason to waste resources used in the production of paper. i don't even use paper for notes such as stickies since i got a device for the exclusive use as an electronic notebook. this device is the sharp wg-n20. the screen is dark and harder to read than e-ink, but it works better in terms of responsiveness and accuracy. whatever i write takes instantly and there are no skips. other than the relatively poor contrast, the only other negative i can see with this device is that it writes using resistive touch. so i could accidentally write on other areas if my finger nail touches that part of the screen, for instance. it would be better if sharp made it to accept input using a wacom style type of stylus. however, i don't know if this option would also have a negative impact on the accuracy and responsiveness of the captured writing.

by the way, the sharp wg-n20 is only available with a japanese interface. there are pictorial icons, so it makes learning to use it a little easier. but there are entire menu items with just japanese characters, which i can't read at all. thankfully, there is an interpretive guide of what each menu item in japanese means.