London, UK-based mobile start-up GoSpoken has launched a mobile service that allows users to browse, buy and download audio books. The service is compatible with 3G phones, but the company advises that users have a HSDPA handset—thanks to the hefty amount of data being transferred. It also recommends that customers have an unlimited data plan. GoSpoken says a three-hour audiobook will take 4 minutes to download with a HSDPA connection, and will cost between £7 - £8.50 ($14-17). A typical audiobook on CD costs around £15 ($30). Random House has agreed to a deal making 50 audiobooks from its authors—including Andy McNab, Sebastian Faulks, and John Grisham—available through the service. HSDPA penetration in the UK—where the service is currently accessible—stands at 4 percent. The Audiobooks Publishing Association says all downloads make up just under 11 percent of the UK’s £72 million ($144 million) audiobooks market (release).

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