With a rich, crisp screen like the iPhone it was only a matter of time before users began clamouring for an ebook reader.  Apple still haven’t come through with the goods, though, but that hasn’t stopped some from trying various web-based methods for getting their favourite electronic literature into the pinchable Safari screen.  Current consensus is that while it’s not perfect, it’s still pretty good.

Check out some of the iPhone ebook options after the cut

Kevin Tofel, cam-whore and raconteur, has been trying Amazon’s ebook Upgrade service, where you can choose to buy an electronic copy of a book for online access in addition to buying the hard-copy.  It cost him $3.79 to access the ebook version of a previously purchased title; it takes the form of scanned pages rather than html conversions, and while that means fitting everything width-wise in portrait mode leaves the text too small (see photo directly above), in horizontal orientation it all becomes easy on the eye (see photo directly below).

Issues remaining include finger-unfriendly controls (the narrow bar on the right of the screen flips forward through the pages), pregnant-pauses in download times because each page is a big photo, and lots of scrolling because you’re not fitting a huge amount on-screen at a time.

Meanwhile, retailer WOWIO has shown some pretty stunning screenshots of pre-optimisation ebooks viewed on the iPhone [via the indomitable Mike Cane]; they not only do traditional books but graphic novels and guide-books too, so appearance is extra important.  I have to say, these photos are luscious, showing off both the iPhone’s screen and the quality of the WOWIO material.

They go into some detail of what tweaks and changes they’d like to see on the handset before it might be the ideal ebook reader, but hopefully they’ll go ahead and optimise their pages anyway so that when Apple gets round to competing with, say, Sony’s Reader, we’ll have some great content to take advantage of it with.

Thanks to MyiTablet 

Looks like someone in charge of managing the T-Mobile Germany website has been doing some further preparation for the iPhone’s appearance, after an iPhone page was put up and then taken down a few days ago.  Two image files have been spotted, one a stock photo of the Apple cellphone (http://www.t-mobile.de/T-D1/img/display_image/0,3465,96201,00.jpg) and the other an image of the phrase “Das neue Kult-Handy!” (translated as “The new cult-Handy”, ‘handy’ being the German word for cellphone; http://www.t-mobile.de/T-D1/img/display_image/0,3465,96247,00.jpg)

It remains to be seen whether these files will be hurriedly removed as the webpage was, although T-Mobile contend that the page was meant to attract hits to their site rather than a confirmation that they’ve won the contract.

Device - Apple iPhone which we will classify as smartphone (because of it’s functionality we can’t called it communicator, but nevertheless more than a phone), does not demand special representation. It is known to each person, which: is interested in a mobile communication; at least once a week comes into Internet. The first rumors that Apple works over own phone, began to be exaggerated on Internet in September, 2005. Though, knowing marketing receptions of “the king of Apples», it is possible to assume, that the similar information has been extended artificially.

Rumors gradually acquired the information, passions were warmed up by intriguing statements of representatives of Apple and new portions ostensibly espionage information. Also Steve Jobs gave us a data on latent possibilities of wonderful device. Especially mass-media speculated with the information on twelfth icon which has in actual fact appeared a shortcut for start of the service which have incorporated mobile analogues of Google Earth and Google Maps.
Official debut Apple iPhone has taken place on June, 29th, 2007. At present American carrier AT&T has exclusive rights on device sale only, we’ve got on review such model. Despite a binding to this carrier, Chinese hackers already could pick up «a key to heart» of Apple iPhone and sell it in Hong Kong for twice larger price.

Among competitors of iPhone name not so long ago released HTC Touch, and also Sony Ericsson W960i, however, we consider, that make between them comparison not absolutely correctly. Apple iPhone is the first smartphone working under control of operational system Mac OS X, analogues to which while are not present.
Now on sale in network AT&T there are two versions of smartphone, which, by analogy to players iPod, differ with volume of built in memory - 4 and 8GB. We’ve got on review 4GB model.

Appearance

Apple iPhone has classical monolithic design, though in sizes a little bit more than usual phone. The design of device does not provide sharp corners and sides - all of them are rounded. As a case material chromeplated polycarbonate (an obverse part) and flight aluminium, most likely chromeplated is used. With great durability iPhone has small weight (135) in ratio with sizes (115õ61õ11,60 mm).

To pull out the battery from iPhone is possible only, having used special toolkit. For this purpose is necessary to open the case. By the way, in device powerful enough battery which capacities, under the statement of developer, should suffice for 8 hours in a mode of conversation or 250 hours in sleep mode. Unfortunately, we managed to measure only operation time of smartphone in a player mode. Play music non-stop on iPhone can more than 24 hours, that at present is a record among devices with communication functions.
Smart phone “heart” is processor Samsung S3C2410 working on clock frequency of 200 MHz. Despite rather low frequency, brakes in job of a program part is not noticed.

The rest part of review in russian HERE.

Some interesting photos of iPhone menu see below:

More photos and full review in Russian see HERE.