[yagiz]

Word has it that eReaders will open the next chapter

Microsoft and Apple are about to follow the tablet trend

TRAVELLING between airports has given analyst Jon Peddie lots of time to study tech trends. There was the rise of the mobile, laptops, the iPod, the BlackBerry and the iPhone.

Now Peddie, who runs California-based Jon Peddie Research, sees another change coming: the rise of the eReader.

Laptops are becoming less popular, he reckons, and even netbooks are fading. The new must-have is an eReader.

Smaller than a laptop, bigger than a BlackBerry, electronic readers are the hot new category for electronics manufacturers. They don’t offer all the computing power of a netbook or laptop but are more portable, convenient and can be used to read books, magazines, reports or e-mails on the move.

So far, eReaders have been sold largely as a new way to read but they can also hold documents and presentations and receive e-mails.

E-mails? Really?!?