I read a book this weekend. On my phone.
Now, I've read books on Greg's iPad before, so the ereader thing isn't new. It's still a little weird, I like holding a book, but it's not objectionable if the book is free and something I wouldn't be able to swap on PBS anyway. But my phone?
The screen's too small. I don't have one of the bigger phones, I have a Motorolla Milestone (also known as the Droid X outside of Cellular South circles). Shouldn't the print be too small and it be uncomfortable to hold? And the whole swiping to turn the page...
I've scoffed at the idea of using a phone as an ereader for a while. I get why people love their dedicated readers, particularly if they're paying for books anyway or can borrow library books with it, but the phone was just a step too far. Then I read a blog post the other day about how Amazon offers a few new books for free on the Kindle and assorted Kindle apps. I already had the Kindle app on my phone because I was tempted to actually purchase the Scrabble Dictionary to have on my phone (but soon realized the Scrabble Dictionary didn't mean squat to the people who created Word Feud and Words with Friends). I decided to download a handful of the free offerings and see how it went.
Halfway through I realized I was reading a book on my phone. It was a decent book, but not worth blogging about. The idea that the book mobile world I grew up in really is a thing of the past threw me for a loop. I'm still not going to pay for a book I can get for free through other means, but reading on an assortment of electronic devices is not longer a novelty.
How much longer will I be able to swindle free books?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I rarely read books that I don't buy. It's probably a frivolous habit, but I like to be able to take my time with a book if necessary or, use it for future reference. I've also been known to REread books so I LOVE LOVE LOVE my kindle and the fact that it syncs to my phone is like icing on a chocolate cupcake-it only makes it better. But I can enlarge my print so that's a plus.
The only downside is not being able to share books with others when I'm done with one. Like other generous people I know.......
That's the beautiful thing about Paperback Swap. You get the book used and you own it. You keep it forever, unless you want to give it up. And goodness knows I have enough I'm willing to give up. But I'm willing to read online if it's free-ish. Did you finish the one I sent you?
Still reading. Love it.
Post a Comment