Avid digitalmissive readers know, I have long considered the New York subway my prefered ad-hoc “test tube”, to get a read on the adoption status of the latest available digital devices and services. Turns out, when it comes to eReaders, I am really not seeing much excitement among my fellow straphangers these days.

Apart from the occasional Amazon Kindle, Big Apple subway riders don’t seem overly attracted (yet!) to the burgeoning world of portable electronic book and magazine devices.

How come?

Make no mistake, there’s many a new eReader well on its way to market as this year’s CES saw consumer electronics manufacturers introduce a plethora of new e-reading devices. Corresponding consumer statistics seem likewise hopeful, anticipating 10 million units to be sold worldwide this year.

Still, a number of this size pales in comparison to the, let’s say, $3 billion in netbook sales, or the more than 41 million smartphones sold worldwide in a single quarter alone. Clearly, eReaders as a consumer device category still have ways to go, as they compete against multiple, undeniably more successful CE portables, some of which are quite capable of providing similarly compelling digital content capabilities.

As to those eReaders actively in the hands of e-bookworms in the US today, Amazon’s Kindle commands at least 60% market share, with Sony’s e-Reader brand the distant runner-up. Amazon seems to also trump its competitors on popular e-book content, and Kindle’s own App store is just about to open.

Yet, despite the apparent Amazon Kindle and Sony e-Reader success, what is it that might have New Yorkers think the subway is just not the place for e-reading?

According to a New York Times poll it’s certainly not for the lack of trying.

In a recent poll, 8,000 of New York’s finest straphangers revealed what most of us seem to prefer for our on-the-subway literature. From the New York Times and Newsday, to The New Yorker and The Nation, of the 42 dailies and magazine titles considered favorites among Big Apple fans, it’s still largely the “analog” print edition that gets first picks.

I  could see how the uncertainty of actually securing a seat during yet another crammed early morning subway ride might play a role. If need be, straphangers have long demonstrated willingness to scan – while standing – through an often neatly folded print version of their favorite dailies. Conversely, without much prospect for a seat, it can prove virtually impossible to navigate your Kindle unless you’re sitting down, hands-free; let alone the prospect of dropping the device in a crowed car.

Sure, if any of todays eReaders would support Web access, and for that matter, streaming video, that too might help adoption. Video of let’s say last week’s Super Bowl livecast (no less the most watched program in US television history), or any other ueber-popular program might do the trick. Your ability to carry both your favorite books, magazines, plus a couple of Lost or The Office episodes all in a single device, could that sway New York straphangers’ minds? Unfortunately, the New York subway still lacks both broadband access and mobile service. Unfortunately, a fully wired-and-connected subway system similar to the one in Seoul seems miles away.

All in, while it seems e-reading is starting to take off above ground, at least under the streets of Manhattan, the “analog” print edition of much everything still seems very much in demand.