E-readers: Revitalizing the Art of the Short Story?

Anyone who has downloaded free content from the Barnes & Noble online catalog can tell you that one of the more annoying aspects is that some "preview" books do not advertise themselves as such.  One sees that they can download a book for free, but what isn't realized until the "book" is downloaded is that it isn't a free book--it's a 30-40 page free preview.  

I have nothing against free previews--free previews are a great sales device on the part of Barnes & Noble; it takes away the apprehension of buying blind by allowing a reader to sample and then decide.  Free books promote sales by introducing readers to authors they may not have otherwise picked up.  The only thing I am complaining about is when a free preview goes masquerading as a free book--to me, that's false advertising, and it makes me very frustrated when I open a book and see the "book" is a grand total of 37 pages in length.  Worse yet is when I don't notice the length of the free "book" until I go to turn the page and nothing is there.  This ranks on my top 5 list of annoying surprises in life, knocking out interrupted monkey piling:

1) flat tires/car trouble

2) unexpected visits from Aunt Flow 

<-----------Biblio Interruptus goes here

3) unannounced visitation from in-laws

4) dreaded pop quiz (either at school, or in the form of impromptu meeting with the boss)

5) Interrupted monkey piling

Recently, I was reading what I thought was a book, and then, about 35 pages in, the story ended.  And by ended, I don't mean prematurely--I made super sure that I had not downloaded a preview.  The story was told and done in 35 pages because it was a short story.  

I haven't ever really read short stories except in school for class, and I was left with with the thought that I might not have downloaded the piece had I noticed it was a short.  However, after the initial shock wore off, I found myself reflecting that the short hadn't been a bad experience.  I enjoyed the short, and I can think of a few places where I might enjoy a good short story to my usual novel picks.  They're the perfect size to get through on a bus ride or a waiting room stay; you can get through the conclusion in time to not feel like you're on a cliffhanger, avoiding the common malady of just hitting the good part of a novel and then needing to put it down.  

In the past, there was no question in my mind that I was more likely to haul around a novel instead of a book of short stories, though now that I can have both, I believe that I will start toting more short stories in my nook.  I have to wonder if e-reader technology will show a resurgence of interest in short stories in the general public of e-reader owners.  

Alula