( CNN ) -- When online media first arose , one of the common complaints about it was that it was n't very portable . Unlike books or magazines , you could n't easily read your desktop or laptop on the bus or in the bathroom . But mobile digital media hold the promise of a return to convenient portable reading . And new statistics from the popular online reading list service ReadItLater indicate that mobile devices are not only changing where people are reading but when . ReadItLater is a free service that allows internet users to save the full text of articles and other content they encounter online on a personal reading list . It then displays this content in a format that 's very friendly to mobile devices . I use ReadItLater ( and one of its competitors , Instapaper ) to save longer-format content ( like 5,000-word Harper 's articles ) for later digital reading in a way that I find easier on the eyes than extended reading sessions on a Web browser . Almost always , this means reading articles on my Android phone -- usually when I 'm on public transit or waiting in line somewhere but often also when I 'm lying in bed . According to a recent ReadItLater blog post , users of this service save articles to their lists at a fairly constant pace throughout the day , but they read this content mostly in the evening , from 6 to 9 p.m . But when ReadItLater took a close look at statistics for its iPhone and iPad users , a different trend emerged . For iPhone users , there tended to be four peak reading times : . • 6 a.m. : Early morning , breakfast . • 9 a.m. : Morning commute , start of the workday . • 5-6 p.m. : End of the workday , commute home . • 8-10 p.m. : Couch time , prime time , bedtime . `` In reality , this really is a graph of whitespace time , '' says the post . `` Whitespace is the time between A and B . It 's the time on the subway or bus . It 's the time standing in line . It 's a spare moment . '' For iPad users , ReadItLater noticed one especially huge peak reading time : 8 to 10 p.m. `` This time slot is the same one coveted by television . When the majority of people are consuming content it seems perfectly natural that people would use this time to do their reading as well . '' ReadItLater also found that `` iPad owners are no longer doing the majority of their reading on their computers . '' This makes sense to me , since iPads are primarily media consumption devices while computers and smartphones are better suited for communication and content creation . ReadItLater did not offer statistics for Android devices , but this service does not offer its own Android app . The NewsRoom Android app by Trileet Inc. is supported by the ReadItLater API and is one option for Android users . The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran . Thanks to Sonya Quick of the Orange County Register for bringing the ReadItLater post to my attention .
Mobile digital media hold the promise of a return to convenient portable reading . ReadItLater is a free service that saves online articles into a personal mobile reading list . Surveys show people read content on phones during down times , such as waiting in line .