iPod for news readers gets nearer

It may fit nicely in your pocket but the iPhone is smaller than ideal for reading

In Smartphones show 300% growth in use as ebook readers Martin Taylor provides data tracking the use of iPhone, Android and other smartphone models. He says the evidence shows people are not only downloading ebook reader applications, but are actively using them to read books.

In other words, it’s clear smartphones are also being used by many people to replace printed newspapers and magazines.

Speaking for myself, I’d argue smartphones make a tolerable rather than a desirable reader. I realise my aging Palm TX isn’t as polished as, say, an Apple iPhone, but it’s simply not up to the job of reading anything more than a few paragraphs.

I don’t own an iPhone although I have used one – and in my opinion it’s unlikely to be a great improvement.

While many modern smartphones offer high resolution screens, they are still tiring to read. Their size and format are at best adequate – but still a long way from great reading devices. A year ago I wrote iPod for newspapers, but not yet saying one day a device will do for newspapers what the iPod has done for music. With iPhones and Kindles we are edging nearer, but there’s still a way to go.

It’s going to happen. But not this year.