Ann Kirschner, university dean of William E. Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York and the author of Sala’s Gift: My Mother’s Holocaust Story (Free Press, 2006), recently reread Little Dorritt for her bookclub. She writes an extremely interesting article about the experience.
I went automatically to my old Penguin paperback, standing ready on the shelf. Never mind its familiar and friendly orange spine — I hesitated. Maybe it would make sense to read the book on the Kindle that my husband bought me last year. Then again, for my daily Manhattan life, I love audiobooks, the best choice for crowded public transportation and a wonderful companion for walking. And now that I use an iPhone, I have been surprised by the ease of reading its crisp, bright screen.
I decided to read Little Dorrit four ways: paperback, audiobook, Kindle, and iPhone.
It was often maddening to keep finding and losing my place as I switched from format to format. But as an experiment, it taught me a great deal about my reading habits, and about how a text reveals itself differently as the reading context changes. Along the way, I also began to make some predictions about winners and losers in the evolution of books.
(via, well, damn, I forget–if if was you, let me know and I’ll link)
Her conclusion? That the iPhone is a Kindle killer.
I don’t own an iPhone, so I can’t really comment. (But I love my Kindle.) So what do you think?
Nicola Griffith 
I don't own an iPhone, and won't so long as you need to be with AT&T. My Kindle, on the other hand, is never far from my side. I actually know more people with Kindles than iPhones. And I have read blog posts on my Samsung Glyde and think the tiny screen is a real disadvantage.
I own an iPhone and not a Kindle. I wouldn't read anything close to a book on it. Long blog posts are annoying on the iPhone screen.
I am conflicted about the Kindle. I realize it would save me so much space in my home, which is the draw.
I have two major objections to the Kindle. I don't think that something I've paid for and own should not be mine to give away to someone else. Trading books is an important part of my reading life. As an aspiring writer with many struggling published writer friends, I also believe that the digital format should be an avenue for publishers to more adequately compensate authors. With production costs virtually eliminated, there is no reason that authors should be paid at the same rate as they are for printed books.
So for now, I am a luddite in this one area. Give me the printed page, please. And if I like what I've read, I'll lend it to you.
Not iPhone, per se, but smart phones in general. I was reading on my Palm Pilot ten ywar before the Kindle came along. I prefer it; I could add my own fonts and it came with an autoscroll function that was great for using at the gym. Just set a scrolling book down on a treadmill and read while you walk!
I think the software – Ereader Pro, Scrollmotion, Stanza, and even the Kindle app for iPhone my be a Kindle killer in the future.
But the iPhone itself is too limited: only AT&T customers can use it, and AT&T is known for terrible coverage, which is why so many people (includng myself) are content to read on other devices.
Perhaps not the iPhone, but the rumored follow-on device. Think about the iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone without the phone (which is repeatedly the weakest thing about the iPhone). The new device is supposedly a tablet, or about Kindle size. This would put Apple in the game for “netbooks,” or Asus EEE chasers. But it would still have Net connectivity, the App Store, etc.
The good news would be, for the people who would like it, they'd really like it. The bad news would be, the people who wouldn't like it, wouldn't, and it would be by a company that makes Amazon and Microsoft look like tolerant advocates of competition.
A dedicated platform versus a multi-tool? An easy call, I figure.
Been using a Palm handheld device or another for about 8 years now. It is not a phone. I can email, listen to music/radio, surf the net, email, work on my documents, share pictures, and much more. Not as cool as the iPhone, but much cheaper. Oh, and I can also read books in many different formats.
karen, modicai, I like the notion of a dedicated device for reading–it cuts down on distractions. Just me and the novel: no sneaking away to check my email…
anonymous@12:59, authors absolutely should get paid the same for the book. It's intellectual property. The publisher, on the other hand, shouldn't get as much, IMO.
clindsay, I think constant motion on the Kindle would be pretty useful, sometimes. As far as I know, it's not an option.
libertango, I can hardly wait for the tablet-sized iTouch thingie. I'd probably read magazines on it, as well as doing business communication, but I simply don't have the willpower to read a book or watch a whole movie without also doing something else–if it's available. And that spoils the reading experience.
karina s, how how much reading do you do on your Palm?
I'm a Kindle junkie and my partner has the iPod touch (we are both Verizon so no go on iPhone as long as it's ATT). I have tried reading eBooks on the iPod touch and while its okay if I have no alternative, I definitely prefer the larger screen and simpler navigation on the Kindle. I think there's room for improvement on both devices, but in a perfect world I would probably still have both. The Kindle as a dedicated (larger size, no distractions and streamlined functionality) reading device, and an iPhone as pocket sized PC and phone.
I'm easily distracted, so I'm a big fan of dedicated devices.
Haven't tried the Kindle (can't use it in Canada, anyway), but I've been eyeing the Sony for years now. In our household, we have an iPod Touch, a Palm TX and an eBookwise-1150. My sweetie uses the iPod Touch to view videos and play games — I tried reading on it, and hated the experience, my eyes hurt after a while and my hand was cramping up. The Palm is okay as far as reading goes, but I'm more tempted to check email on it than anything else. I'm pretty fond of the clunky eBookwise-1150 — its backlit screen is surprisingly readable in broad daylight too, and it's the perfect bring-along when the third movie at the drive-in theatre sucks yet E finds it hilarious and wants to stick around, I simply jump into the back seat and read short stories.
I'm getting a free iPhone next week as part of a study where I let the White Coats wire up my head and monitor me while I interact with three different applications. I don't really see myself doing anything with it beside checking email while I'm away from home and using it as an mp3 player, we'll see. Maybe I'll become addicted. I'll let you know. Right now, I'm pretty skeptical that it'll kill the Kindle in its present incarnation.
shereta, yep, me too. I think.
karina, it would be cool to hear about the White Coats and their experiments…
To clarify, I meant authors should get a greater share of digitally reproduced works, since the printing costs were eliminated.
-Anonymous@12:59
I like that interpretation *much* better :)
I actually just decided not to pick up an iPhone, since I don't really need to have the data-functions on me; I use the internet a lot at work, occasionally at home– I'm a infojunkie, sure, but on my moments of sit-down-&-wait where I'd want to use an iPhone…well, I already have “books” in that slot!
Can't get the Kindle in Aust. but I am wary of Amazon tracking my user patterns (and making me pay for everything) so I probably wouldn't get it anyhow. I'm keeping tabs on the development of colour e-ink or Pixel Qi screens or other tablet devices that are bigger (but not too big), lighter, wifi-ed and battery friendly.
In the meantime, I sometimes use my iPhone for reading. I don't find it any different from using my old pocketpc, except that Apple has more Apps to choose from and each program is different.
What do I like about reading on the iPhone? I can do it one handed and slip it into my pocket in between. It's highly portable and combines multiple uses.
I hadn't thought about comparing my book reading habits with e-reading but I suspect they would the same – rate of concentration depends on the story. I think fast paced stories do a little better on the iPhone because I only need to go forward, no contemplating, and I'd want to do it fast.
I find that what I'm fretting about in all this is the notion that people will get so used to reading on their smartphones (of whatever description) that the kind of books I love–to read and to write–will no longer be commercially viable. They'll be too long, too…chewy.
Well, there is the argument that things will just diversify– without publishing overhead, distribution, etc, you'll have a boom of genres. Bloom, if you will. Then we'll see if the “1000 real fans” thing pans out, I think.
Readers love long books. At least that's what I've read :), and I know that I do.
I cannot imagine reading a whole book on my phone. iPhone or whatever. The small screen is just too much work. I don't have an iPhone, but it's looking better with this last release. When TomTom gets their software on it later this year, and they get that tethered thing in the US, I may switch carriers if I have to.
I did download Mobibooks yesterday to try it on my Palm phone; I've had a Palm of one type or another for many years, but never tried it. But for the phone thing to be useful to me, I need that kindle app that syncs with what I'm reading on the kindle.
The kindle was/is not a techno-marvel. What sets it apart is the purchasing ease – the wireless capability and tie-in to Amazon.com. As in the iTunes store for the iPod.
I have been trying to love my kindle, but in some fundamental ways I do not. I do love how much content I can carry around in that package. That blows me away. For portability, it soars. What I have problem with is the crappy design interface. It's too hard to navigate. And something about the reading experience just doesn't cut it. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I'm having to push myself to get used to it. And I am getting used to it, but it still sucks in the navigation area. And it's so much more fragile than a book.
I'm debating selling mine on ebay since money is tight these days. So the last few days, I've been making myself use it exclusively. I've been reading news on there, pdf's, books, and it really is pretty cool. But today, I picked up “Sword of Rhiannon” with a huge gush of relief – a real book in my hands! Something about the physical nature of a book will always be preferable to me I'm afraid.
The only problem I have with the integrated device (which I've been wanting for years) is the cost of losing it. I leave a book on a bench somewhere or drop it – no big deal. Take it to the beach, no problem. 2 years ago I left my phone on a plane, last year I lost my smartphone to the washing machine, but at least I didn't lose my iPod.
But soon enough the problems with it will be solved. Books will use up a precious resource and be too costly. Have you seen that pricey color e-ink version Fujitsu put out recently – it has Windows on it?
I think that woman is unusual – preferring her iPhone, but reading that did make me wonder if I'd like to read “Little Dorritt”. I put a free copy on my Kindle. (Now that is very cool) But I really liked her point about the 40 year old book. I have books that I took from my grandmother's house when I was a teenager. And they were old then. I see that as a huge problem – we will not be passing these books down to future generations; and that is tragic in a way. But it will likely go the way of digital cameras. Real film is much easier to store and the technology for looking at it hasn't disappeared. Yet.
I ran across a couple of articles yesterday looking for ways to hack my Kindle. Here's an interesting one about using ebooks as textbooks – tested on college students one would think are pretty tech-savvy.
And here's an article you might find interesting from Peter Olson (former CEO of Random House) discussing ebooks, pricing, and publishing.
I guess I am long winded this weekend.
I'm attached to paper printed text. It gives me something tactile. I like the feel of paper between my fingers, but then that's what I grew up with, dog-earing pages, writing something in the margins. The etext stuff just isn't the same for me.
Yep, I agree – the tactile thing is really a big part of it.
But don't forget about the destinctive aroma of a classic book. And for those who prefer it, the “New Book Smell” is also available. Fortunately, it's compatible with the iPod as well as the Kindle, etc.
Besides the tactile…well, there are BENEFITS to hard, physical things. I can tuck my fingers between pages, & better yet– my fingers are wired right up to my brain. A physical object interacts without a middleground of abstraction.
I loved Kirschner's article, in part because I'm doing a similar thing currently. I'm reading Moby Dick in three formats: paperback, audiobook, and via Stanza on an iPhone. I've been doing this kind of thing more often lately, because it helps me finish books about twice as fast, and if I'm reading a classic I can get the Project Gutenberg version for free on my iPhone and get the other formats from the library.
And, I have to say, I really like all three formats. Nothing, for me, replaces the sensory experience of a real book, and, when I'm trying to read quickly, it's often faster than any other format. But then I get in the car and drive to work, and there's Frank Muller's amazing tones and accents, bringing Moby Dick to life, helping me notice all the wonderful funny bits I might have tripped up on in print. And then, standing in line at the grocery store, or reading in bed (sans booklight!), my iPhone does the trick.
I wasn't sure I'd ever enjoy reading anything of any length on the iPhone, but Stanza does a great job — I almost prefer reading books via Stanza to reading anything else on my iPhone, because it's designed so well. I get 1.5 to 2 paragraphs at a time, in a nice text size (completely adjustable, too) and then I can hit the sides to flip forward or back. It's beautifully done, and I highly recommend it. For me, I'll do whatever I can to keep the story flowing, regardless of format.
joel, I think a lot of people are going to be reading classics now that it's easy to download the freebies. I have all kinds of nifty Gutenberg stuff–Y Goddodin, Nennius, etc–on my Kindle. I don't listen to audio books because the low information density drives me nuts; so slooow…
Germane:
http://futurethinktank.com/2009/07/30/%E2%80%98kindle-killer%E2%80%99-or-innovative-savior/