GalleyCat readers have spoken. From Soft Skull‘s Richard Nash to literary blogger Maud Newton, plenty of people are reading books on their iPhone or iPod. Let’s meet a few early adapters.
“It has a sharper (although slightly smaller) screen, and it’s a pleasure to use. I ride a commuter van two hours a day, and an iPhone is easier to carry than a book, and its backlighting makes it easier to read on dusky late afternoons,” explains GalleyCat reader John Lovell.
Another reader saw airplane potential: “After reading your article I downloaded Stanza and then a couple free books … I grabbed The Brothers Karamazov, which downloaded quickly given its size. The text is readable and it is easy to move from page to page. Thanks again for the information, I’ll save those books for that plane ride,” wrote Suzanne Anderson.
Others readers reminded us that book reading has never been one of Apple’s priorities–independent companies have developed reader applications for the iPhone and iPod. To that end, we are preparing for a Battle of the Book Apps. Chime in if our list skips your favorite application. So far, the reader-approved app list includes: Stanza, eReader, and the open-source platform Cydia also has a reader.