CellStories.net serves up digital content on your cell phone
Have a cell phone? Have a web browser on your cell phone? If so, then that’s all you need to sign up for start-up website CellStories.net. The stories, some fiction and some non-fiction, are delivered through the site that can be easily accessed on your mobile browser. The content appears to be free.
CellStories.net is the brainchild of Dan Sinker who wants to put great content into the hands (literally) of the most readers possible via their cell phones. I first became aware of the new start-up when I saw the site featured in my morning Publishers Weekly email:
The venture goes live today and offers short narrative content—1,500-1,700 words of fiction or nonfiction solicited from both published authors and the general public—delivered to consumers through a mobile phone Web site at cellstories.net. Users navigate to the site through the Web browser of their Web-enabled cellphones; the site will offer a different story five days a week, and on the weekend, readers can reread the previous week’s offerings.
Additionally, the article states that CellStories is partnering with 5 different small press publishers to help serve up quality content. Everyday users can also submit their own content to CellStories for consideration.
I’m all for it! Any time someone can find new and unique ways to get people reading, whether it’s digital or print, I think it’s a worthy endeavor. The only drawback I see to this particular model is that reading CellStories’ content requires a connection to the internet. This might turn off some air travelers, but I’m still optimistic that CellStories will find a niche audience.
Don’t underestimate dedicated ebook readers
One part of the PW article that really got my attention was when it quoted Dan Sinker saying that dedicated ebook reading devices will fall out of style:
“It’s silly. Dedicated reading devices will turn out to be the laser discs of our time,” said Sinker, who is also an assistant professor of journalism at Columbia College in Chicago.
I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Sinker on this point. While cell phones and other mobile devices are great for reading short fiction and even novels (heck, I’ve read many novels on my iPhone), the small screen is a problem for many. So is eye strain. Even on my iPhone, which has more screen space than most other devices, reading novels is done in short gulps because my eyes start to hurt after a while.
On the other hand, on my Sony PRS-500 I can read for a long time and it’s just like reading a print book. I think that dedicated devices like the Kindle and Sony Reader will always have a place in the ebook market. The more I read on my Sony Reader the more I love it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still read on my iPhone – mostly short fiction now. I think that there is a place for mobile devices and dedicated readers in the world of ebooks.
What do you think? Will dedicated ebook readers become antiquated like those old laser discs? Or will there be a market for ebooks on mobile devices and dedicated readers? Share your opinion below by leaving a comment.
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