Novels Via Cellphones

A New York Times article recently covered the phenomenon of Japanese novels being written and delivered via cellphones. While many thought it a novelty, the phenomenon has turned out to be the genesis of some of the bestselling novels in Japan for last year.

Indeed, of last year's ten bestselling novels, five got their start as cellphone novels self-published by their authors and later picked up by a publisher and bought out as a printed book.

A debut novel Love Sky by Mika was read by 20 million people on their cellphones or on websites where the novels were hosted as well. When the novel was published in book form, it became the #1 selling novel in Japan for all of last year. In addition, the novel was made into a movie. Not bad for what was essentially a self-published novel.

The Apple iPhone Challenge

Note: This blog post, of course, is now out of date. Finally. The iPhone is available now on other phone networks. A long wait for a great phone.

The Apple iPhone is gorgeous but it doesn't work in most of the Rocky Mountain states if you live more than a few miles from a major Interstate. The iPhone is great, desirable, fantastic. The network Apple chose to use is crippled, inadequate, sadly lacking in coverage.

I would have stood in line for the iPhone, but I won't stand in line for the inadequate ATT network. I can wait.

I'm sure Jobs had his reasons for choosing the cut-rate ATT network, but it doesn't serve his image for excellence. It's possible that the early implementation of the iPhone required a disabled network.