British soldiers serving in Afghanistan have come up with something of a surprise when asked what they'd like for Christmas – an e-book reader.
The news that troops are hankering for a Kindle, Iliad or Sony Reader comes from unspecified "sources within the British Army", according to PC Pro. It's also unclear why Christmas lists are being drawn up in mid-September.
Space saving
Regardless, the space-saving element alone makes the e-book a clear winner for soldiers already burdened down with equipment. Dozens of books in a small package clearly beats out bundles of dead tree reading matter.
Intriguingly, the story also quotes an army officer as recommending e-books over music players, as they are silent and "don't block hearing". Sensible.
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ripsnorter
September 20th 2009
1. E-books might be silent and not block hearing but wouldn't the backlight give away your position to the enemy? What if you're so engrossed by the new Dan Brown you don't even see them coming? Still, I think it would be easier to kill someone with an e-book than an iPod! Why don't reviewers ever test these things properly?!
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