Getting comfortable reading books on your cell phone

When it comes to any form of reading that doesn't involve actual ink and paper, I straddle kind of a strange middle ground.

Basically, I'm an old-fashioned girl who prefers to hold a real book or newspaper in her hands. However, I also like to be practical. I spend a certain amount of time on one form of transit or another and I don't always have those real items with me.

So I bought a Kindle and I've got to admit that I love it.

When it comes to reading anything more sophisticated than the occasional text message on my cell phone, however, I've been very hesitant.

But I may be ready to cross the line.

I read with interest Maud Newton's blog yesterday entitled "Book apps for the iPhone keep getting better." I could entirely  relate to her first experience with serious cellphone reading.

She was on a train, ran out of reading material, and decided to give it a try. "Although grumpy and self-conscious at first," she wrote, "soon I was so drawn in that I forgot to be annoyed."

If you feel that you too are getting closer to the brink, you might want to check out this neat Wiki put together by the people at Wired. It's like a primer on reading books on your cellphone. It makes the whole thing seem way more manageable.

Here's the thing: It's only going to get easier and, like it or not, soon we'll all be doing it.  If there ever were an area where it could be an advantage to be an early adopter, this may be it.