Over the Edge + December 15, 2010 E-Reader Wars The rise of electronic reading DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR Who would have ever imagined that the terms “book” and “electronic” would be used in the same sentence? For those of you-keeping up with the latest-e-book news, you've already witnessed what the imagination is capable of. The hype surrounding the concept of an electronic book, and now the fun new gadgets that let you read them, is astounding. The main competitors for e-readers in this fast- rising market are Kobo, the Sony Reader, and the Amazon Kindle. There are some legitimate debates from die-hard book lovers over whether or not this will phase out real paper novels, and how it looks for the future of libraries. For those of you unfamiliar, here is a brief breakdown on what exactly an e-book and an e-reader are. An e-book is as easy as the name suggest — an electronic book. They can be downloaded and read on some computers, phones, and most importantly, by a specifically designed e-reader. An e-reader is the device used to view the e-books. These devices are only about a centimetre in width, and are no larger than a small novel. There is no backlight on these devices, so reading from a screen for extended periods of time won't strain your eyes. The lack of a backlight is due to the use of e-ink technology, which comes in grayscale and ONLINE SOURCE Kindle 3 arts & entertainment 15 uses very low power to operate. The Kobo e-reader is one of the more popular devices to _ purchase, and it's also Canadian based. Like its rivals, it uses the e-ink technology. The original Kobo did not come equipped with wireless capabilities; however, the most recent release of the Kobo does come with Wi-Fi. It boasts an expandable memory, and one of the neatest things is that it comes preloaded with 100 books. However, at this point, it only fully supports. the English language. Amazon.com released the original Kindle in 2007, and it is the only Kindle with an expandable memory. It essentially has similar features to the Kobo, however, you can only read Amazon e-books on the Kindle, which is one of the major cons to purchasing it. The most recent version of the Kindle is the Kindle 3, which comes with 3G and Wi-Fi and also makes use of e-ink technology. The Kindle 3 also boasts of a one-month battery life with the wireless radios turned off. One of the most enticing e-readers is the Sony Reader. Using the standard e-ink technology, it is has some of the “ONLINE SOURCE Sony Reader The Legend of Mr. RagerKid Cudi returns with another great aloum DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR On November 9, 2010, American rapper Kid Cudi released his second studio album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, on Universal Motown and GOOD music, reaffirming to his fans that he deserves a following. The album was originally entitled Cudder: The Revolution of Evolution. Kid Cudi was born Scott Mescudi in Cleveland, Ohio, and pursued a career in music after being influenced by groups like A Tribe Called Quest. He was discovered by the infamous Kanye West, and after assisting West in writing a song, he managed to create some buzz and appeared on MTV's reports of MCs to watch in 2009. Mescudi certainly knows how to reveal aspects of his personal life without drawing on sympathy, and he managed to reinvent himself on this album. The opening song, “Scott Mescudi vs the World” is a great introduction to the album, as it is not only catchy, but it bounces right through the speakers and embeds itself in your mind. Kid Cudi makes excellent music to motivate and keep your mood lifted, even if he draws upon darker subject matter. The second track, “REVOFEV,” lends a shout to the original title of the album, and kicks off with infectious, jumpy piano chords that continue to resonate in your mind. Within the first few tracks, it is evident that these songs are going to get stuck in your head throughout the day — which is an enticing idea. Once the third track comes around, the different details and sounds that are occurring in the music start to fully - expand. He stretches the limits of genre and hip-hop to create a new, appealing sound. Later in the album comes “Erase Me,” which was the first official single, which is the main track where he blends genres. The song is a fusion of rap and rock, which traditionally seems to be unsuccessful. KiD CuDi MAN ON THE MOONE: MR. RAGER Hk LEGEND OF ONLINE SOURCE Kid Cudi is the man on the moon best features. The Sony is touch-screen equipped, unlike others that use chunky buttons to navigate. It also comes with a built-in dictionary, allowing you to tap the word you ~ would like defined — and the definition pops up. No more running off to find a dictionary or marking a page to look up a word later. This reader can also play MP3 and AAC files — an immediate bonus. Despite how exciting these devices seem, it’s a sad though » to consider losing paper-books. The convenience that these e-readers offer is absolutely undeniable (think: you could have all of your textbooks in e-book format and never worry about carrying all that weight) and they are certainly fun to play with. These devices can hold thousands of books on them no problem, and you can make new use of the term “traveling light.” It’s difficult to accept that there is a risk of the paper-novel becoming extinct, and certainly it's frightening to embrace that these e-readers really are a blast. As someone who works in a library, promoting these devices has been a struggle, but that being said, it's still hard to ignore the possibilities and options that the e- readers offer. ; eg M & : we : Po] ONLINE SOURCE Kobo e-Reader If Kid Cudi hadn't already established himself as a great musician, there might be some stronger criticism towards this track. He doesn’t even rap at all himself on this track, but his voice is appealing enough to pull it off. The song does have a good beat and decent guitar riffs, which - definitely help. The song “Marijuana” is the prettiest song on the album, _ and one of the best tracks also. Even if you do not promote the use of the aforementioned drug, it’s hard to argue against that sound. The piano trickles through the song like a light rain and even adds a bit of sadness to the track. “Mojo So Dope’ that follows has the most soul on the album, starting right with the introduction to the song. Even though he throws around words like “bitch” and other cuss words, it’s still an enticing song. Another highlight of the album is “Maniac”, which features American indie-pop gem, St. Vincent. Her stark voice paired with Kid Cudi’s beats . makes for a stunning fusion of yet another two genres. This song best portrays Mescudi’s efforts to stretch the limits of what he does. , Overall; Kid Cudi sticks to his habits of being incredibly: honest and.exposed. The album is‘slower:than previous releases, and certainly sounds more musically-tame at - times. Though he reinvents himself and changes his style a bit, he managed to put out another great album that doesn’t just focus on beats. A lot of rap music can be overlooked because of the language and subject matter, but Kid Cudi still has something to say that's easy for any listener to ~ hear. Hopefully his future releases can maintain the level of excellence that he has produced with his albums so far.