Comments on: Android-based cell phone ‘just four weeks away’? With FBReader among the third-party options? http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/android-just-four-weeks-away-with-fbreader-among-the-options/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:33:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/android-just-four-weeks-away-with-fbreader-among-the-options/comment-page-1/#comment-875536 David Rothman Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:14:04 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/13/android-just-four-weeks-away-with-fbreader-among-the-options/#comment-875536 Hadrien, you're right on. Android, too, in time, will be a major factor. All this is one more argument against a focus on dedicated e-readers. Consumers will buy 'em. But long term, they may actually purchase more books for use on phones. Meanwhile, as people here keep noting, some users will go for both platforms. What's cool about the Stanza approach is that, thanks to Feedbooks, it paves the way for book downloads to be as easy as on Kindles. And I know you want to do the same with FBReader for Android and presumably for Stanza for Android. At which point the question becomes, "Why a dedicated device?"---except for factors such as screen size. Even that might vanish when rollout E ink or whatever becomes common. Thanks, David Hadrien, you’re right on. Android, too, in time, will be a major factor.

All this is one more argument against a focus on dedicated e-readers. Consumers will buy ‘em. But long term, they may actually purchase more books for use on phones. Meanwhile, as people here keep noting, some users will go for both platforms.

What’s cool about the Stanza approach is that, thanks to Feedbooks, it paves the way for book downloads to be as easy as on Kindles. And I know you want to do the same with FBReader for Android and presumably for Stanza for Android.

At which point the question becomes, “Why a dedicated device?”—except for factors such as screen size. Even that might vanish when rollout E ink or whatever becomes common.

Thanks,
David

]]> By: Hadrien http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/android-just-four-weeks-away-with-fbreader-among-the-options/comment-page-1/#comment-875472 Hadrien Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:08:22 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/13/android-just-four-weeks-away-with-fbreader-among-the-options/#comment-875472 I really believe that there's a great potential for Android. With companies such as HTC (#1 on the smartphone market), Samsung, LG & Motorola on board, Android could easily reach dozens of millions of users. I love the open philosophy of the platform, yet I hope that Google will release something similar to the App Store (iPhone), not to filter or sell the applications, but to provide an easy way for anyone to discover and install new apps. Reading applications have been very successful on the iPhone, and they should be equally successful with large screen phones running Android. I really believe that there’s a great potential for Android. With companies such as HTC (#1 on the smartphone market), Samsung, LG & Motorola on board, Android could easily reach dozens of millions of users.
I love the open philosophy of the platform, yet I hope that Google will release something similar to the App Store (iPhone), not to filter or sell the applications, but to provide an easy way for anyone to discover and install new apps.
Reading applications have been very successful on the iPhone, and they should be equally successful with large screen phones running Android.

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