By Rassam Fakour-Zaker
Know Your Money Editor

There's a fight brewing this Christmas between the good old traditional book and the flashy newcomer: the eReader. The humble, low-tech book has been the heavyweight champ of the publishing arena for millennia, but technological advances have seen eReaders gain considerable ground over recent years, and products such as the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader and their ever-growing legion of competitors are poised to feature on many a must-have gadget list come the festive season.

For those wondering whether an eReader is the ideal gift for their nearest and dearest bibliophile, or considering whether to make the upgrade to a book 2.0 themselves, fear not: Know Your Money is here to referee the smackdown between these two publishing pugilists.

Round 1: Cost

First things first: currently, you're going to be forking out around £200-£400 for a standard size eReader (less for smaller versions) - which is rather steep considering that it's just a flashy electronic drinks tray until you buy some eBooks.

Those unfamiliar with the world of digital books may be surprised to discover that eBooks cost about the same as their corporeal counterparts. A fact that has caused something of an outcry amongst consumers that, thanks to music downloads, expect media to be cheaper in its digitally distributed form.

As many commentators have pointed out, however, the idiosyncrasies of the publishing industry mean that eBooks and traditional books have similar production costs, meaning the current pricing structure is unlikely to change any time soon.

That said, public libraries are gradually increasing their eBook stocks and, though there's no such thing as a second hand eBook store, there are a number of resources (such as Gutenberg.org and Feedbooks.com) which offer free downloads of thousands of public domain classics and works from new authors.

Nevertheless, the substantial initial outlay and the fact that new releases cost the same regardless of format means that, on the simple issue of price, the digital contender takes a first round beating.
Result: Books win

Round 2: Features

The first eReaders were designed for one thing only: reading digital books. But as technology advances and market competition heats up, manufacturers are throwing in more and more features until, now, the current crop of eReaders share more in common with laptops than traditional books.

Many premium models now include wireless internet connection, email facilities, audio playback, annotation facilities and multi-file format compatibility and, though many of these features aren't yet as functional as they are in laptops, you can expect eReaders' features lists to continue expanding until everything is inevitably subsumed by "tablet" computer technology (more on that later).

On the reading side of things, most eReaders include handy features like the ability to change text and image size, built-in dictionaries and even text-to-speech facilities so you can have your books read to you, Jackanory-style.

In the other corner, traditional books reached their evolutionary peak with the introduction of pop-up technology - which, though admittedly impressive, is not enough to beat the eReader's barrage of features.
Result: eBooks win

Round 3: User-Friendliness

Requiring little more than rudimentary motor skills and a level of literacy consistent with the chosen text, traditional books are undeniably user-friendly; whereas eReaders' more sophisticated technology means that users will need some degree of computer literacy. Not that this matters a great deal, since only the technically savvy are likely to buy one.

With that in mind, most will find eReaders easy to operate. Models without wifi capabilities function much like an iPod, with users downloading eBooks on their laptop or home PC and transferring to their eReader via a USB cable. Those that have internet built-in often feature simplified book-buying processes (such as the Kindle's one-click ordering system) which make getting your hands on new books effortless.

A good start to the round from the eBook then, but the traditional book has a simple yet significant counterattack: books allow you to turn pages or flip to any section instantaneously, while eReaders, in their current form, can take up to a couple of seconds. This may not sound like a major problem for most people, but those using eBooks for referencing, or those like me with a goldfish brain that requires regular recaps, will find it rather annoying.
Result: Books win

Round 4: Durability

Books last a lifetime, and much longer, if properly looked after. They can also take a fair amount of abuse before they are rendered useless. eReaders, on the other hand, are a lot less hardy. Build quality varies between models, and though lightweight and sturdy enough, dropping one is not recommended.

It's important here to note that, in terms of longevity, the eReader is at a disadvantage due to its technology. As many commentators have noted, eReaders, though adequate enough for the purpose of reading eBooks, are likely to be superseded by the imminent introduction of "tablet" computers, such as those expected from Apple and Microsoft.

Therefore, though the current eReaders will not become obsolete anytime soon due to their multi-format compatibility and strong publisher support, they may become rather outdated somewhat sooner than expected.
Result: Books win

Round 5: Portability

Portability is the eReader's raison d'etre. Larger than your average paperback but far lighter and slimmer than a hardback, eReaders are an undeniably practical solution for reading on the go. What's more, with around 2 gigabytes of memory - enough for 1,500 eBooks - eReaders allow you to carry around an entire library without the need for a wheelbarrow.

Those who have experienced battery issues with laptops or mobiles need not be concerned either. Using an ingenious material called E Ink, an ultra-low power display technology, eReaders only consume power when the display changes, i.e. when "turning a page". Therefore, eReaders' battery life is usually measured in terms of page turning, and many can manage up to a whopping 10,000 page turns in a single charge.

But you know the best aspect of an eReader's portability? With no book cover to broadcast your reading tastes, you can finally read your copy of The God Delusion on a train full of nuns without getting beaten up.
Result: eBooks wins

Round 6: Environmental impact

Considering that the publishing industry is one of the world's most ecologically damaging sectors, environmental issues are particularly important in this showdown.

Obviously, the vast numbers of books and newspapers produced around the world require huge amounts of paper - about 750 million trees-worth every year. More surprisingly, around half of this paper comes from newly harvested trees.

Even if you're not a tree-hugging hippy that sounds pretty bad, right? Well, factor in the highly polluting practices of the printing industry (largest industrial consumer of water, third largest emitter of greenhouse gases etc) and books are starting to look like little paper psychos intent on destroying the world.

eBooks, on the other hand, are greener than that big bloke who advertises sweetcorn. Recent research conducted by the Cleantech Group found that, by eliminating the need for paper, printing and transportation, the average Kindle's lifetime carbon emissions are fully offset after one year's use. So, along with their aforementioned power efficiency, this round is a whitewash.
Result: eBooks wins

Round 7: Ownership

Ownership takes on a rather fuzzy definition when it comes to the digital world. More often than not, what we think we have paid for is not quite ours. Such is the case with eBooks.

If you buy a traditional book, you own it - and it is yours to lend or sell on as you wish. When you pay for an eBook, however, you are merely buying the licence to read it: you do not actually own it and the publisher retains control over it.

This is the reason there are no second hand eBooks and why many people, quite justifiably, consider digital rights management of eBooks to be unethical, unwarranted and draconian.
Result: Books wins

Final result: Books 4 - eBooks 3

It was a close fight, but in the end the referee holds the hand of the (slightly battered) traditional book aloft in triumph.

Annoying boxing analogies aside, your personal decision relies on how much weight you give to each of the issues above. However, in our view, the shortcomings of eReader technology currently outweigh the benefits of eBooks.

One thing's for sure though, books are as technologically advanced as they can be, whereas eReaders, as a new medium, are just coming into their own. Whether the imminent tablet computers render eReaders obsolete is yet to be seen, but for now, we suggest you stick to your paperbound books and wait it out.