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The joys of e-books on a BlackBerry: Could the Kindle tablet actually lead to MORE e-reading on BBs?
April 16, 2008 | 12:51 pm
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By David Rothman
Could the Kindle phenomenon not just help the Sony Reader and other rivals, but also promote e-booking on cellphones or at least BlackBerrys?
Maybe, if you extrapolate from a column by Lee Gomes of the Wall Street Journal.
Kindle-BlackBerry similarity: Wireless
Gomes is a Sony Reader fan and wants to enjoy e-books, on his Blackberry, even when his tablet isn’t with him.
But the same logic would probably apply even more to Kindle owners, given the wireless connection and the fact that the BlackBerry also has one, unlike the Reader. Wireless is handy for downloading books—including the free public domain variety—although I doubt things are as slick with the BlackBerry.
Why Gomes likes the BlackBerry for e-reading
About his experiences with his BlackBerry and the BB version of Mobipocket, Gomes writes:
“Until a few weeks ago, my assumption had been that a useable electronic book would need to resemble a Gutenberg book as much as possible, with, for example, pages of screen text about the same size as pages of print. I had heard reports that Japanese commuters were using cellphones to read books. But I figured that was sort of the thing only Japanese commuters would ever see fit to do.
“The Sony Reader, however, turned out to be a gateway device. Once you’ve experienced its great rush of convenience, choice and portability, you just have to have more. It’s then that you cross the line and start downloading British novels onto a BlackBerry…
“And it’s not what you’re thinking. Your thumb doesn’t fall off turning teeny-tiny digital pages thousands of times to get through even the most fleeting novella. In fact, the ergonomics almost beats that of books.
“The device cradles in your palm and shows you a few dozen words at a time. By default, your thumb is resting on the keyboard and you simply nudge the space bar to move on to the next page….”
BlackBerry e-book fans reading this?
So there you go, gang. Any TeleBlog community members using BlackBerrys, and if so, what do they think of them for e-booking?
At any rate, I hope Amazon will respond to the needs of Kindle owners who also love their BlackBerry devices—and will standardize everything on ePUB, which the Kindle and Mobipocket Reader software could be adapted to render directly. Same for Sony, which, in fact, is supposed to have ePUB-capable Digital Editions on the way. Come on, guys. People want to use multiple devices, and cellphones matter since they’re often the only gizmo a consumer is toting. The more time a shopper will be able spend with a book, the more likely he or she is to buy it. And multidevice use will increase that time.
And speaking of Amazon and platforms: Gomes writes: “The company has such high hopes for the Kindle, with its largely proprietary software. A huge hit with the Kindle would give Amazon an iTunes-like dominance in books that it could then use to move into movies and music.For that reason, book publishers, among others, are wary of Amazon, fretting that it will become too powerful a middleman. Publishers would be far happier with generic mobile phones as the e-reading platform of choice.”
Detail: It’s possible the Gomes column may be for WSJ subscribers only.
Related: Manybooks.net page for BlackBerry owners—helping them catch up with thousands of free public domain books (link also given earlier).
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Comments:
Me! I’m using Mobipocket on the Blackberry my employer provided.
At first, I installed the software as a “bond with your Blackberry” exercise, since I already read ebooks on my Nokia N75 with Mobipocket. That, and my assigned Blackberry is one of the huge 8830 models, and it came to be all scratched up from its prior owner…
But, I have to say, that I’m enjoying the mobipocket experience more on the Blackberry because the screen is easier for me to read, and I seem to have more control over the size, and which fonts get used (where as I’d have to go and do something special to really be able to do this on the N75).
The wireless functionality is a nice-to-have, but it only takes you to Mobipocket’s bookstore, unlike the Mobipocket desktop software, which lets you connect with a variety of bookstores. This means you can’t go deal shopping, but you can still get instant gratification on the go.
Finally, I would be much happier if the eReader people would port eReader to not only the Blackberry, but also to Symbian s60 V3. I’m not the first person to ask for this, but they seem to be dragging their heels anyway. This way, I would be able to read my older eReader titles on my newer equipment, instead of keeping a Palm E2 around, just for the purpose of reading eBooks (which I almost never do on the Palm anymore, since I really only read e when I’m on the road).
I don’t have a Blackberry or a Kindle. I do have a Palm (an ancient Palm IIIxe) and an eBookWise and I certainly use both of them for eBook reading. The eBookWise is great when I’m going to be sitting and reading for a while–in a chair, on an airplane, on the train but it doesn’t fit in my pocket. Besides, when you read on the eBookWise (or Kindle or Sony), it’s obvious you’re reading. When you’re using your Palm, you could be taking notes, updating your schedule, or otherwise be being productive (this was important to me when I had a lot of consulting gigs and needed to look attentive and like I was contributing).
Anyway, I absolutely agree that giving anyone, even Amazon, even Fictionwise, a monopoly on reading devices, would be dangerous for publishers–and authors.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
I was actually reading on pda’s and phones before I got a Kindle, but I must say the Kindle has spurred me on even more. It’s kind of crazy, but I will download a magazine sub from fictionwise on both devices, and then pick up where I left off as the mood strikes or situation allows. Reading on the pda (a treo not a blackberry though) is definitely nice since as the article mentions you tend to already have it with you anyway. It’s great for doctor’s offices, waiting in lines, coffee breaks, and boring conversational partners
I forced myself to read a full book on a phone (cory Doctorow’s Someone Comes to Town… — seemed appropriate!) just to see what it was like and quite enjoyed it. I was on vacation and it meant I didn’t have to lug around several books. If you tend to read in short bursts it’s fine, but I wouldn’t actually try it for a long sitting. That’s where the Kindle/Sony Reader come in.
I don’t imagine the reading experience is that different between a treo and a blackberry, which is why I went ahead and commented anyway.
I have been using Mobipocket on the Blackberry and it’s quite a nice experience. I really like the convenience of having a book on such a small device and the reading experience is not as bad as one would think. I also own a Sony Reader and actually find myself reading on my Blackberry more often simply because there’s a backlight.
@Jean K – I believe that Mobipocket software on the Blackberry gives you access to other bookstores like Fictionwise.
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