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Read books on your iPhone

What the dickens?
Friday, 6 February 2009, 12:50

GOOGLE is trying to take on Amazon.com's Kindle and Sony's eReader by offering iPhone and Android users instant access to more than 1.5 million public domain books.

OK, they are not the sort of books that iPhone users will want to read. Rather the works of Bill Shakespeare, Jane Austin and Charles Dickens but the technology is interesting.

In a blog post a Gurlger said: "One of the great things about an iPhone or Android phone is being able to play Pacman while stuck in line at the post office. Sometimes though, we yearn for something more than just playing games or watching videos."

The INQ has a suggestion: try a paperback, geekhead.

Google said it had a devil of a job making the text that small while at the same time readable. Pity iPhone users only want to look at the pictures. µ

L'INQ
http://books.google.com/m

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Comments
I must be the exception to the rule

I have an iPhone (shock horror!) and I have the eReader app and have just finished reading Oliver Twist (that's a book by Charles Dickens, it's not just a film and show) and there are no pictures in that (again, shock horror). How did I cope? Well I'm an educated man, which is why I chose the iPhone, because it is the best phone suited to my needs.

posted by : RichM, 06 February 2009 Complain about this comment
Paperback?

When's the last time you read a paperback you could fit in a pants pocket? Some people don't like to haul around any more bulky crap than they have to.

They fit in my coat though. But then so do 2 liter bottles of Coke.

posted by : Gldm, 06 February 2009 Complain about this comment
Meh, paper books suck

Paper books suck, especially paperbacks. Though I probably couldn't tolerate reading books on that tiny iPhone screen, I can understand why it'd be preferred over reading paper books, especially if there is superior screen technology like on the Kindle. The ability to search the text, the lack of curling pages into the book spine, no need to lose your bookmarks, the ability to store thousands of books in one device, the ability to download and share the books easily--all these things and more make it superior to paper books. What is not superior: device cost. However, for those who already own the device, why not use it as a reader too?

posted by : BB, 07 February 2009 Complain about this comment
@Gldm

You have a pocket in your pants? How do you get things in and out? Do you have to take your trousers off first?

posted by : Bob, 09 February 2009 Complain about this comment
will books be totally outdated?

i think it's hard to believe that one day no one will read physical paper books. i mean what about cookbooks, learning manuals, health and self help books. for instance a href="http://www.gurgle.co.uk/articles/Lifestyle/36496/New_gurgle_com_books.aspx" /a are about pregnancy and babies, i can't see expecting mothers wanting to snuggle up with their iphone! or cookbooks, maybe it'd be handier and more compact but who would ever cook with their phone??

posted by : sally, 13 March 2009 Complain about this comment
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