Who needs Kindle? Now you've got your cellphone...

October 14, 2008

You thought it was just the Japanese, but starting today there may be commuters on your own train line devouring novels on their cell phones.

Simon & Schuster is partnering with MPS Mobile's Global Reader to make their entire e-book catalog available for cellphone reading. You don't need a particular brand of cellphone to do so. Readers should be able to access the Global Reader mobile distribution networks on any Internet-enabled mobile device they are currently using.

The first books available are "The Secret" by Rhoda Byrne and the books from the "Star Trek" series.

As a special introductory promotion, mobile users can get free excerpts and a demonstration of the Global Reader service either by texting "The Secret" or "Star Trek" to 22646 and getting a direct link to this content, or by accessing wap.global-reader.com on their mobile browsers.

The next titles launched will be works by Ernest Hemingway, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Nancy Drew," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," teen classic "Go Ask Alice," and Edgar Award winning author James Lee Burke's "The Tin Roof Blowdown."

Within the next few months, the entire Simon & Schuster e-book catalog (500 titles) will become available.