A Canadian publishing firm is causing a bit of a stir by promising a new software release it is hailing as a "Kindle Killer" for the Blackberry, iPhone and Windows Mobile.

Definitely an ambitious plan, and likely driven less by a powerhouse software offering than a desire to steal some spotlight from the release of the Kindle 2. But before we even get into that, the question arises as to whether the iPhone makes sense as an ebook reader in the first place.

Anyone who has ever tried to read a long article in Safari will likely tell you no. Computer screens in general aren't easy to read from, and though the iPhone is better than other handsets, it's still not easy on the eyes over an extended period of time.

There's also the issue with screen size. The iPhone screen is a fraction of the size of your average paperback, and any convenience of being able to fit it in your pocket will quickly be offset by the annoyance having to scroll after each paragraph.

There's also the economic issue. Though we seem to love them in the press, eBook readers remain a very niche market. Just about all of us don't have a problem with carrying a book around, and few people require instant access to a library of books the way we do music.

I'm sure at some point printing paper books will go the way of the 8-track, but it's still a very long way off. And the catalyst to do it won't likely be the iPhone as we know it.

12 Feb 2009