Worldreader, an American nonprofit literacy agency, has beta-launched an app for non-smartphones with the goal of distributing free e-books into sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world, the Bookseller reported, noting that the biNu app "uses cloud-based data compression technology to enable any Java-enabled 'feature' phone (non-smartphone) to download e-books and access news websites and Facebook over an ordinary mobile signal."
"These 'feature' phones--or dumb phones--may not look cool, but they are the phones that are used by billions of people in the developing world," said Elizabeth Wood, Worldreader director of digital publishing. "We've created the app to give access to books to those who don't have it."
She also noted that Worldreader is talking with publishers about increasing the content: "The end-game is to have thousands of e-books on the app. Yes, this is a leap of faith for publishers, giving away some of their content for free. But once you give these kids in the developing world the tools and hook these kids on books, they will become book buyers."
