According to new research by Jakob Neilsen, the new wave of electronic book readers have faster reading speeds than those that have gone before them. They are also significantly better than reading from computer monitors, thanks their higher-resolution screens and more natural and comfy reading position.

Many companies are betting big that electronic book readers, such as iPad and Kindle, will be one of the main ways people read long-form text in the future. But are they as good as books?

They do have several benefits, not least the ability to make an library of books portable, but the Neilsen study found that reading speeds are still slower than print.

So will they take over from the printed word? Only time will tell.

More about the Jakob Neilsen study >

Melitta