Audiobooks Calling

by Shannon Maughan -- Publishers Weekly, 10/4/2004

This is definitely not your father's technology. As if cell phones weren't ubiquitous enough, their capabilities continue to increase, making them the go-to gadget for many people. Now audiophileswill be able to play back audiobooks and other forms of spoken word on their phones. Audible, the leading provider of digitally delivered spoken word audio, has announced a marketing and technology partnership with Sprint wherein certain Sprint PCS Vision Smart Devices will give users access to the 52,000 hours of spoken word content from Audible.com.

First off the assembly line is the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device SP-i600, which is currently available nationwide in Sprint stores or at www.sprintpcs.com. Next, newly designed AudibleReady Smart Device products from Sprint will contain the AudiblePlayer application, which features some already loaded introductory audio content.