E-Books On a $20 Cell Phone

An anonymous reader writes "Moon+ Pro Reader, FBReader, Kindle, you name it--many popular Android e-book apps can run on a smartphone available for $20 and shipping. The trick is to respect the device's limits and keep down the number of apps you install. This fun isn't for eager multitaskers. On the bright side, the $20 phone can do Acapela TTS, includes a 4GB memory card and works with cards of up to 32GB--easily enough for scads of pre-loaded books. Plus, the WiFi is great. And the screen of 3.2 inches isn't that much smaller than the 3.5 inchers on the older iPads. What could cell phone e-reading mean in the many "book deserts" of the U.S.? And how about the U.K. where miserly pols are closing libraries even though the Guardian says "a third of UK children do not own a single book and three-quarters claim never to read outside school"? The smartphone post on the LibraryCity site tells how librarians and others could start "cell phone book clubs" to promote the discovery and absorption of books as well as smarter use of technology."

Comments

Seriously?

[drdread66]

Reading e-books two or three lines at a time on a 3.2-inche screen would turn anyone off of reading. If you're trying to interest people in reading more, it's going to have to be a pleasant experience.

Re:Seriously?

[Bohnanza]

Reading e-books two or three lines at a time on a 3.2-inche screen would turn anyone off of reading

I prefer to read on my phone over any other format. I can hold it and turn pages with one hand, and since only one paragraph fits on a page, I never lose my place even if I am distracted. I read MUCH faster on my phone than when reading from a paper book.

My current phone is bigger, but I read many books on my Iphone 3, with a screen size of only 3.5 inches, so I think the experience would be similar with these small phones.

And I am not alone, e-reader apps have always been among the most popular.

It is much smaller than the iPads screens

[aliquis]

But it is much smaller than the iPads screens.

It is less than 1/9 the size of the 10" of an iPad.

Also can I expect the resolution to suck too?

Why cares? Why is this slashvertisment posted on /.?

It may not be much smaller than an old iPod Touch and maybe it doesn't have worse resolution either who knows but so what? It's still poor and shitty. Small, low-res and no e-ink.

"Shitty smartphone can do smartphone stuff although shitty" - You don't say?

I know the later may come out as trolling but .. it's just the truth.

"older iPads"

[Oliver Wendell Jones]

What "older iPads" had 3.5" screens? Did you mean iPhone?

sponsered phones.

[leuk_he]

These phones are sim-locked and sponsered by the provider. So the 20$ mark means not much, the real price is 10-40 dollars higher.

Using a phone for reading zaps through your battery life (1-3 hours) to light the screen.

But the discusssion stays, since for $99 you can get a reasonable e-paper reader. How to get content for this.... i leave to your imagination.

Re:sponsered phones.

[stoolpigeon]

For $70 you can get a fantastic e-ink reader. The 6 inch kindle with offers is $69.

Team that up with Calibre on a PC and you are all set. That is how I do all my reading now.