Navy Creates Special E-Reader For Submarines

I love my Kindle – I really do. There is rarely a day when I don’t use it for at least a little bit of time, and I usually use it for multiple hours most days. It makes reading so much more convenient; I can carry around one little device that can hold hundreds (even thousands) of books. And with more and more people using Kindles (and other e-readers), it’s easy to take them for granted. You see, for those of us who spend most of our time on land, e-readers may be quite commonplace, but for members of the Navy who serve under the sea? Not so much.

In fact, the men and women who serve on a Navy submarine aren’t able to use most of the technology we use every day. They can’t use iPads, and they can’t use any kind of an e-reader that connects to a network. The reasoning is simple: it could cause a potential security breach. Many of these servicemen and women enjoy reading, but due to the small space of a submarine, they can’t carry tons of books onboard with them. And, while there’s a small library on the sub, it only boasts a very limited amount of material. It turns out that the Navy has heard these concerns and have created what they’re calling the NeRD (Navy eReader Device). Upon looking at the device, it clearly resembles some of the first Kindles which were released. However, it will not have any kind of network connectivity.

At first, these e-readers are going to be in very short supply. The Navy states that they’re only making 365 available at the very beginning, and that each submarine will only have access to 5 of them. Also, each unit will come preloaded with 300 books which cannot be deleted. They will be full of Patterson, Clancy, and other books they believe sailors will enjoy reading.

While the reading selection is fairly limited, I believe sailors will appreciate the NeRD, and I commend the Navy for helping come up with the idea.

What do you think?

[Image via NBCNews]

SOURCE: http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/7/5688760/the-navy-built-an-e-reader-nerd