Plato on a Palm Pilot

Dailylit.com is turning some of the world's greatest literature into emails and text messages that can be read in five minutes or less. Of course, it takes 151 email installments to read Plato's Republic and 430 to read Anna Karenina.

The website is distributing 370 (mostly) classic texts for free. Users can decide if they want to be sent installments 3, 5, or 7 days a week. Those opting for daily distribution are on the hook for 35 minutes of weekly reading.

The company plans to move into charging for the service, with Dailylit sharing revenues with pubilshers. According to a recent Reuters article, Berlitz has signed up for the right to distribute five-minute language lessons.

Could this possibly work for college textbooks?

Gabcast! Club MediaNote #52