Sailors who are looking for a Kindle or Nook alternatives that may be less feature-rich, but which are already preloaded with hundreds of books, may want to check out the Navy eReader Device (NeRD).
This device comes courtesy of the U.S. Navy. It has no ports, Wi-Fi access or card readers. It does come with 300 books though preloaded on its memory. This is a way to save a lot of space in the crammed lockers that sailors have at their disposal on ships. The type of books packed with is a collection of modern bestsellers, public-domain classics and titles from the Navy reading list.
Some of the titles available include "A Game of Thrones," "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo," "The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks" and "The Lord of the Rings." Many other classics can also be found of different genres.
The U.S. Navy grabbed some publishing partners to make the NeRD a reality. These partners include Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette and more. It was developed by the Navy General Library Program (NGLP), which partnered with an Ohio-based company called Findaway World, which focuses on digital products related to audiobooks and eBooks.
"Our mission is to develop products and technology that challenge the status quo, expand the digital publishing market, and enable our partners to offer their users unrivaled access to digital content," Findaway World says.
Although it may seem weird that sailors would be interested in electronics or eReaders, it does make sense if we think about it. Just imagine how much time sailors spend on the lone oceans waiting to reach their destinations. Being able to relax with an eReader seems like a good way to pass the time, and there is really no reception or need for Wi-Fi in such situations.
It is also worth noting that the device combats security issues the Navy usually doesn't want to deal with, due to its lack of Wi-Fi access and ports. Normally, personnel can't even access iPads or Kindles, so this seems like a great alternative for long voyages on submarine ships.
