By Mary Ann Lombardo

Tick-tock, tick-tock…it seems as though today’s readers constantly race against the clock.

We try to squeeze intellectual stimulation and imaginative entertainment into our incredibly fast-paced lives.  We yearn to escape into a story, but who has the time?  Tick-tock, tick-tock…

Some of us make the time with the use of audio books, digital books, book podcasts or portable e-readers, like Kindles or Nooks.  The clock now ticks to a different tune…Tech-tock.

We join online book clubs or participate in reader blogs.  Students join online Literature Circles or download textbooks via websites.  Tech-tock, tech-tock…

We read during the morning commute, waiting at a doctor’s office or doing a load of laundry.  Reading has become something we do in-between events.  It’s no longer THE event and technology aids this trend.

In essence, busy bees rely on the buzz of technology to “sting” their schedules.  ‘What’s new’ helps us enjoy ‘what’s old’.

Although nothing could ever replace that tangible feeling of your fingertips turning the corner of a page or the mounting anticipation that builds with having to wait until the end of a long day to curl up on the couch with a good book, it’s encouraging that our society finds modern ways to enjoy this ancient, but beloved pastime.  And as time continues to tick-tick-tick away, this column will highlight the latest technologies enhancing our reading experience…

Enter iBooks.

In 2010, Apple announced this e-book application for their iOS devices, such as the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone.  The downloadable books are available through the iBookstore (an e-publication sales and delivery system) and are transferable between the iOS devices.

Whereas some e-readers require consumers to carry an additional reading device, iPhone users have the option to read their iBooks directly from their mobiles, adjusting the font size for their viewing pleasure.

Of course, the overall benefit is that this application allows you to build a portable library, one in which you can customize the organization.  Moreover, the digital books in your library are cheaper than actual books and far less bulky.

Fast-forward 2 years and iBooks had an exciting 2012.  Earlier in the year, Apple announced the free release of iBooks 2, which allows for interactive reading.  Then, the iBooks Author was released.  This e-book authoring application allows authors to create interactive textbooks.  At the tail-end of October, iBooks 3 hit the scene.  This latest version of iBooks supports 40 different languages and grants users the option to share book passages through Facebook and Twitter.  It also offers continuous scrolling, which e-readers have been craving.

Continuous scrolling allows continuous reading.  Instead of manual swiping or virtual page-turning, the manuscript automatically scrolls at a pre-set speed, similar to a teleprompter.

And this is just one of the latest technological trends that wind our tech-tock clocks…

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Mary Ann Lombardo is a self-published author and a TV writer.  Her repertoire includes broadcast news scripts, infomercials and commercials as well as her two memoirs, “R.J.L.: A Pregnant Memoir” and “Dear Baby…”  She has a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication at Rutgers University and a M.S. in Publishing at New York University.