E-readers may not solve publisher woes yet

Publishers hoping to halt a slide in sales with new electronic reading devices will struggle to get consumers to embrace them until the technology improves, experts say. The gadgets -- such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle and Barnes & Noble Inc's new $259 Nook -- have created an enormous buzz in the publishing world and marketers hope they will become popular Christmas gifts. In some respects the new devices still compare unfavorably to the tactile experience of the printed page and lack multiple functions of more advanced technology such as smartphones, industry experts say.