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Burn Your Kindle, Readers Need iPhone

Consumers jilt e-book readers, download titles to smartphones

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 31, 2008 8:36 AM CST

(Newser) – They’ve only been around for a few years, but digital book readers may already be going the way of the Walkman. In increasing numbers, tech savvy bookworms are downloading their favorite titles onto smartphones like the iPhone for a fraction of the cost, BusinessWeek reports. For travelers, “bringing an extra piece of equipment loses some of its value,” said an iPhone convert.

Amazon’s Kindle has been sold out since November, but sales of book-ready smartphones in one quarter (36.5 million) trounce the total number of e-readers ever sold (nearly 1 million). Many royalty-free classics go for $.99 or less, and developers are planning ebooks for BlackBerry. “Our job is to help our authors reach the widest audience possible,” one publisher said.

The Kindle, a $399 electronic book device, will allow downloads of more than 90,000 book titles, blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
The Kindle, a $399 electronic book device, will allow downloads of more than 90,000 book titles, blogs, magazines, and newspapers.   (AP Photo/Amazon.com,File)
A growing number of people are getting their book fix via mobile phone, a method some consider more convenient than using a dedicated ebook reader like Sony's Reader Digital Book.
A growing number of people are getting their book fix via mobile phone, a method some consider more convenient than using a dedicated ebook reader like Sony's Reader Digital Book.   (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
In this image released by The Weinstein Co., David Kross, right, and Kate Winslet are shown in a scene from The Reader.
In this image released by The Weinstein Co., David Kross, right, and Kate Winslet are shown in a scene from "The Reader."   (AP Photo/The Weinstein Co., Melinda Sue Gordon)
As smartphones become more ubiquitous, partly thanks to the popularity of iPhone, so have the tools that make it easy for users to download a book for a fraction of the cost of buying one elsewhere.
As smartphones become more ubiquitous, partly thanks to the popularity of iPhone, so have the tools that make it easy for users to download a book for a fraction of the cost of buying one elsewhere.   (PRNewsFoto/Kraft Foods)
Amazon.com chairman and CEO Jeff Bezos holds the Kindle, a portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
Amazon.com chairman and CEO Jeff Bezos holds the Kindle, a portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers.   (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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