Entries tagged with “cell phone” from Tools of Change for Publishing

Open Question: Do You Read Books on a Cell Phone?

Mac Slocum
August 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (13) | Listen

Mobile book reading is already popular in Japan and anecdotal evidence suggests it could be catching on elsewhere. I'm curious to see how prevalent phone-based book reading is within the TOC community.

• Have you ever read an ebook on a cell phone? (This doesn't include Kindles, Sony Readers and other standalone e-reader devices).
• Have you read more than one ebook on a cell phone? If yes, how many do you typically read in a year?
• What inspired you to first read books on your phone?
• In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of reading books on phones?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area.

Related Stories:

• Q&A with Developer Who Turns Ebooks into iPhone Applications
• Ebook Adoption Could Come from Mobile Apps, Not Hardware
• Ergonomics and Ebook Success
• Q&A with Susan Danziger, CEO of DailyLit
• What Would Your Ideal E-Reader Look Like?

Open Question: Have You Seen a Kindle in Public?

Mac Slocum
August 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7) | Listen

A flurry of new Kindle guesstimates and analyst predictions has reignited the Kindle number debate (something I'm not fond of). One of the oft-cited arguments is: "How can the Kindle be so popular if I've never seen one in public?"

There are big holes in this line of inquiry, but since it gets raised so often I figured a few device-spotting questions were worth posing to the TOC community:

• Have you seen a Kindle in public? If so, where did you see it?
• Have you seen a Sony Reader or other standalone e-reading device?
• Have you seen more than one e-reader?
• When did you first see an iPod in public? How about a cell phone?
• When did iPods and cell phones transition from public novelties to commonplace items?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area.

Related Stories:

• Kindle Projections, Roadblocks and Sightings
• TechCrunch Reports 240K Kindles Sold
• The Pitfalls of Publishing's E-Reader Guessing Game
• Booksquare: "Random Ebook Thoughts From A Jetlagged Mind"
• Shelf Awareness: The Kindle Controversy -- 'A Sign of What?'

Smithsonian Advertises Via Bluetooth

Peter Brantley
August 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Listen

The Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are sending out Bluetooth tethers to passers-by. From a Smithsonian press release:

... this new medium of advertising prompts Bluetooth phone users to opt-in to receive a free downloadable message ... Bluetooth-enabled bus shelters, located in Washington, D.C.'s major pedestrian areas, will deploy a silent prompt to mobile users with Bluetooth within a 30-foot radius.

Related Stories:

• A Twist on Mobile Book Content
• A Google-Amazon Mobile Application?
• AP: "Amazon Launches Text-Message Shopping"
• Survey of Book Industry Reaction to New iPhone and App Store

UK Service Brings Audiobook Downloads to Mobile Phones

Mac Slocum
April 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Listen

UK-based GoSpoken has partnered with Random House to make 50 audiobook titles available for purchase through the GoSpoken mobile download service. GoSpoken is currently aimed at early adopter UK residents who have broadband-capable cellphones (specifically, HSDPA-enabled) and mobile data plans.

Managing director Tony Lynch describes the genesis of GoSpoken on the company's blog:

As I travel round London, I am staggered by the amount of people traveling with earphones attached and because I have a vested interest and never stop wondering what they are actually listening to. Now those people who have seen me staring at them through buses, trains and their daily commuter work will be able to download the audio version of best-selling fiction and non-fiction anywhere where their network gives them broadband coverage.

(Via Peter Brantley's read20 listserv.)

Related Stories:

• The Bookseller: "Mobile audio deal for Random"
• Tag an Audio Clip, Buy it Later
• Will Open Mobile Access Benefit Book Publishing?
• A Twist on Mobile Book Content

Roundup: Green Books, Podcasts by Cellphone

Mac Slocum
March 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Listen

Eco-Friendly Children's Books
Simon & Schuster's Little Green Books children's line will be printed in soy ink and manufactured with recycled materials. Debuting this fall, book topics will focus on ways kids can help the environment.

Podcasts by Cell Phone
Silicon Alley Insider says the rise of all-you-can-talk mobile plans opens the door for podcasts and radio programs delivered through cell phones. Foneshow is already tapping the opportunity with its audio service (users subscribe to specific shows, just like traditional podcasting). This could be a new option for brand-conscious authors and publishers looking to expand their reach.