What is "e-cigarettes"?

I found this news on BBC!

This news tells that the Electronic Cigarettes has been common in the UK. The researchers expect this e-cigarettes could save millions of lives because it has effectiveness like nicotine patches in helping smokers quit. Furthermore, there are 100,000 deaths per year relates to smoking in UK, so e-cigarettes could prevent some of these deaths.

After I read this, I deeply understood about e-cigarettes because I have hardly seen such cigarettes ever. As my understanding, many of deaths are attributable to smoking. So I am sure that this e-cigarettes will make a roll to decrease the death rate caused by smoking. According this article, e-cigarettes will be licensed as a medicine from 2016. If it has license, it will more spread to quit smoke than today. As my opinion, cigarettes bring many problem not only smokers but also people around them, so I want them to quit smoking by using it. Because my workplace is full of smokers, I'm really influenced by them, that is trouble for me!

I have questions!

Have you ever had trouble about smoking?
Do you expect about e-cigarettes to prevent disease in the future?