As data is beginning to show that the one billion global smartphone owners are reading books and magazines on their smartphones despite the smaller screen size–nearly a third of all smartphone owners, in fact, according the Pew Internet–new avenues are opening up for smartphones that address the features that many readers have come to expect from digital editions.
Berlin-based Readmill, which launched in 2011 to meet a need for social reading, announced today that it has created an iPhone app for social reading. Coinciding with its already existing iPad app, the iPhone app is an acknowledgement of these growing numbers of smartphone readers.
“Our aim is to give readers the most enjoyable reading experience possible, whether it’s reading via a tablet or a smartphone,” said Readmill’s CEO and co-founder Henrik Berggren. “We understand that in different situations readers require different tools, so when you’re reading and relaxing at home, you might use an iPad, whereas in more confined or busy places, or on the go, your iPhone may be preferred. We were finding that a growing number of our users wanted to read their ebooks in this way and the ability to read via a smartphone has been the most requested feature within our existing community to date – so this was a natural next step in development.”
This past fall, Readmill began supporting Adobe DRM-protected ePub and PDF files, allowing readers to share their thoughts and notes on a wider array of ebook titles. The new iPhone app, which can be downloaded on Readmill’s site, is compatible with most major online retailers, now including Google Play and Kobo.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
