Cell Phone eBook Readers

Cell phones are marvelous devices for reproducing audio. Often in addition to being cell phones, they can play Mp3 or other audio file. This makes them ideal small and inexpensive devices for playing electronic book.

This project looks to the use of recycled or surplus cell phones as small portable eBook readers. These readers can be connected to PC at community center and materials/books etc. can be downloaded to them as audio files. The individuals can then take these away and use them to listen to books or other material that has been converted into audio form. This project consists of a series of actions focused at the use of cell phones as eBook reader. The first simply take the phones as it is and is developing mechanism to download and transfer eBooks to them. Later work may examine ways of creating special programs that can work with older and newer cell phones. Newer cell phone’s small apps that are custom made to be eBook readers may be installed. For older phone purpose built software that can be loaded on to the phones may be developed.

The first stages of the work are being carried out by Benetech.