All that texting practice was going to come in useful someday

This time, it's a user-end innovation: some Japanese have taken to writing serial novels straight to mobile phone. Publishers and providers have been only too happy to help out with distribution, too:

The Magic Library Plus has quickly established itself as the gold standard for mobile phone novels. Work published there is guaranteed hundreds of thousands of readers and lots of street cred. Since its inception, the library has added at least 10 new titles per month. It includes frequently updated reviews and instructions on how to write a mobile phone novel.

Last month, the site held the world's first mobile phone novel award -- with the cooperation of heavyweights like NTT DoCoMo, D2 Communications and video-rental giant Tsutaya.

So how long until people start creating straight-to-cellphone comics? Touchscreens and styluses, people, touchscreens and styluses!