The Complete Works of Shakespeare

The iPhone 3G has turned time wasting into an epic challenge with the array of in depth applications it has available. From fully developed video games to online publications, the iPhone has something for almost anybody. One of the most interesting free applications it has available it a massive text volume, the entire works of William Shakespeare.

This does seem like an odd marriage of technology and literature, and it is. Within the program you have all of his plays complete and unabridged. Included with this is a link to biographical information online, but not much else. The texts of the plays are included without any footnotes or annotations. This keeps the size of the entire application down, which is not much more than most average iPhone programs. The text itself is a little difficult to read, and you can resize the text image the same way you would resize an Internet page when using Safari mobile on your phone. You scroll down with you touch screen as if the plays were painted out on one large piece of paper. Once you get the hang of this process it should not slow you down too much. The Dramatis Personas and Acts are separated so you can keep your reading organized.

The program is a nice volume no matter how you look at it, especially since it is free. The only question is whether or not people are ready to actually read this kind of lengthy and difficult literature on their mobile phones. This is not the kind of work for casual skimming, but more for a very dedicated reading session. You will know immediately if that sounds like the kind of activity you are willing to engage in on your iPhone 3G.

As for me, the program is worth picking up and using as a reference tool. It does not clog up your phone too much and is just too interesting to pass up. Go ahead and try it out to see if it is for you. With a flurry of new books on the way you can be sure that this is not the last we see of mobile-based texts.