Comments on: The joys of e-books on a BlackBerry: Could the Kindle tablet actually lead to MORE e-reading on BBs?

By: Angel

Angel — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:01:24 +0000

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.

By: Wil Nelson

Wil Nelson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:01:33 +0000

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.

By: Rob Preece

Rob Preece — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:58:30 +0000

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

By: Jean K

Jean K — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:08:57 +0000

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).