Manybooks.netCell phone and PDA users got a break when manybooks.net started serving up e-books in such formats as eReader and Mobipocket.

And now there’s a new twist—a cell-phone-friendly incarnation of the 15,030-book site with a super-simple layout that underpowered devices can easily digest. Only, this version is called mnybks.net, which makes sense when you’re in Entry Hell. Then do a bookmark if you can.

Update: Please note that the only file output right now on the mobile site is .jar, really for cell phones rather than PDAs, but perhaps manybook.net will add other formats like Mobipocket.

If so, in ease of use, manybooks.net would then be the leading public domain site for owners of PDAs, too, not just cell phones. And in case you want to know how Matt McClintock, Mr. Manybooks, did the simple layout, just go to Hawhaw, short for “HTML and WML hybrid adapted Webserver.”

Update, 2:30 a.m, Oct. 28: Revised to address the format issue.

Update, 9:57 a.m.: In a note to MobileRead, Matt says he hopes to make his main site easier to use with handhelds. Great!

4 COMMENTS

  1. […] ManyBooks.net has a mobile site version The great free book resource, ManyBooks.net now has a mobile device friendly version called mnybks.net. It’s perfect for grabbing a new e-book while you are on the go with an internet connected device. In fact, if your device has an SD card reader, you can even pop a Sony Reader friendly version onto an SD card and then plug it right into the Reader. E-books are not usually huge files, but always be aware of any data charges that might pile up. Via David Rothman at TeleRead.org. […]

  2. Maybe ebooks are really finally becoming the mainstream elements they were supposed to be!

    On a related note…the IDPF is finally starting to get that format thingy going, they sent out a press release today…

    http://www.idpf.org/pressroom/pressreleases/ocf1.0.htm

    So maybe there will soon be some more good ebook news to be had!
    The Press release also states that dotreader (your favourite David…^^) will support their format via a plugin…:-)

  3. Thanks for your comments, Roland. I’m tickled that dotReader supports the container format, and I hope it will go on even to handle PDF and the other members of the Tower of eBabel. It’s a wonderful Trojan Horse for OpenReader, which will allow more features than the IDPF’s OEBPS standard does. I want dotReader to be in the thick of things so people can discover the merits of our first implementer. Furthermore, as just noted, OpenReader wants to lessen technical incompatibilities, and why shun a standard that itself is built on the OpenDocument standard? Just keep in mind that the container format is merely one little step toward the razing of the Tower of eBabel. Thanks. – David

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