PluggedIn: E-books read well, but paper's more palatable

By Robert MacMillan

NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The number of people subscribing to newspapers may be shrinking as they flock to the Internet, but electronic book readers won't shred the market for ink, paper, glue and binding anytime soon.

After years of promises and false starts, booksellers and technology companies are diving into the world of digital books. Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is selling the Reader Digital Book for $299, while giant online shopping company Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) offers the Kindle for $399.

New readers are lighter than the average hardback fiction bestseller, easy on the eyes and let readers carry around as many as 200 titles in hardware that weighs less than a pound.

But to some people, there's something missing.

"It's, I guess, the feel of holding a book that someone really put a lot of effort into writing, and you kind of lose that a little bit with a digital product," said Katy Farina, 21, of Montgomery, New Jersey.

Farina, a student at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, was browsing at the Borders bookstore near Madison Square Garden. As shoppers lined up at closing time, the subtle, comforting aroma of books permeated the store.

"It feels real, whereas (the reader) kind of separates you a little bit from the story," Farina said.

Harry Howe, who had picked up "Surrender Is Not an Option" by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, said he might use an e-book reader for blog or Web site material that he wanted to read while away from home, but not for reading a novel.