ebook reading on iphone...not bad at all!

[tboooe]

Perhaps I am really behind the times but I have resisted ebooks. In particular I was worried that reading texts on a screen would be fatiguing or somehow less enjoyable. The hw cost of the readers was also bit high for me as well. Perhaps I am old but I just like the thought of holding a hard cover, reading the liner notes, and looking at the cover art. Heck, I still buy cd's.

Anyway, yesterday on a whim I downloaded the Kindle app for iphone and purchased my first ebook on Amazon (James Rollings, Doomsday Prophecy). It was a book I was meaning to get anyway. All I can say is wow! What a great experience! I purchased the book on my iphone and a few moments later I was reading it! To my surprise, I had no issues with readability on the iphone. Even though the iphone app is lacking some features, overall I am really pleased that I made the move to ebooks. Its great having my book with me all the time on my phone. I can catch a few chapters here and there whenever a free moment presents itself. In the past, I would actually have to plan a reading session. In the near future, I plan on trying to purchase a used Kindle as well so sync with my iphone app.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading.

 

[alent1234]

hoping for ebooks with pictures

i have a stack of children's books and would love iphone versions with pictures, sound, etc to make it interesting

 

[ucfgrad93]

I have been reading ebooks on Palm devices for many years. eReader is a wonderful free program for the iPhone.

 

[Andrew K.]

Wow great yeah I didn't think I'd like it either but I like reading it on the yellowish setting I might be selling my kindle 2 let me know if interested, it's in excellent shape with the amazon leather cover.

 

[instaxgirl]

I like it too. At uni I often have a lot to carry around without throwing in a book too so if I'm actually reading something I tend to download it on the Wattpad app and keep it with me

To a point though I'm still resisting ebooks. I want to have a physical copy of a book in a way that I don't for things like music or tv (where you can easily put your digital download on a CD or DVD). I wish you could buy a book, pay a couple of quid more and then also have the ebook rather than just one or another.

Given the rarity of say films which come with an iPod compatible digital file on the DVD too I can't see this happening soon though. Shame, I'd love a really thin, lightweight ebook reader.

 

[cellocello]

I downloaded Classics fully expecting to read a bunch.

And, while the experience is indeed pretty good, I find that I just don't that much off my phone. It just never feels like something I want to do when I'm bored and have my phone with me.

And if I'm home, I always just end up reading through a dead tree.

 

[Rusalka]

Ebooks on the iPhone are amazing!!

I currently have over 40 books on my phone, through the app 'Stanza' (and the website drinkmalk.com which is currently down )

Its so much more convient than having to carry around a physical book, I can read while waiting, eating, laying down, walking (Yes, walking ) It's awesome!

 

[steve knight]

been reading ebooks forever on my pda. once the iphone could work for that then I bought one. I was using ereader but I really like stanza. it can read quite a few formats. myself I would not buy limited formats like the kindle ones. way too much chance of the format changing or dying and leaving you hanging.

 

[okrelayer]

i read books through stanza every day. LOVE IT. Its easyer to flip pages while eating to which is another plus hah

 

[Slip Jigs]

I'm a convert as well, and using Stanza. Great themes and font customization, etc. but the kicker is just to be able to hold the phone in my left hand, flip pages with my thumb. Much easier than one of the larger e book readers.

 

[michael.lauden]

wow you guys are very positive.

maybe it's just me but i don't want to have to interrupt reading every 2 paragraphs to flip a page or invoke a new screen. the auto flowing words make me feel like i'm reading too slow or too fast and don't let me focus on the actual novel.

IMO reading books on the iPhone is a complete and utter fail

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Well it's good to hear positive feedback from ereading. I honestly hadn't given't it a try, but after reading this thread I downloaded ereader last night and have been playing around with it. So far I think it's really kool! There are many advantages to ereading, but it also has some drawbacks...

I agree with the above poster who wished we could buy both the physical book and the ebook together for a couple bucks more. I'm sure that is in the short future

 

[tboooe]

I have to agree that the convenience is just amazing! It is now so much easier to just read whenever I have a free moment. What I really like is how convenient it is to purchase new books. Within a few minutes I am reading something new. And at the lower price I can now experiment a bit more and buy books I may not have in the past. Overall I would say I am now an ebook believer. I will however continue to purchase hardcover editions of my favorite books to add to my library.

 

[arkitect]

Insomniac's dream answer

eBooks on my iPhone…
I use Stanza and it's not bad at all. Screen's a bit small but at least I don't have to switch on the bedside lamp or use one of those godawful book lights.

I am following the rumoured "iTablet" with great interest.

 

[eastercat]

Using Stanza has made it possible for me to read during layovers (and I can have my iPod going on in the background too). Books can sometimes be too heavy to lug on a long trip. This makes it easier to have reading material and keep the luggage weight down. However, some books are harder to read electronically than others.
Right now, I'm reading Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. Since I've never read this before, I can't tell if the writer uses a lot of long, run-on sentences or if it's the limitations of the iPhone's size. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde's, The Picture of Dorian Gray is well formatted and easy to read. So, you're really dependent on how well your book is formatted for a small screen.
I have a lot of books d/l. So, when I don't feel like reading Kant, I can read George Orwell, Sun Tzu, Edith Wharton or whoever else I feel like.
However, I've noticed the books are incompatible with Good Read's page status.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Hey I made a thread about which is the best ereader, so if you could all give your opinions that'd be great!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/772980/

Or if you hate clicking links , you can respond here

So I am just not starting to get into the idea of ebook readers.

I am in the process of downloading ereader, B&N ereader, stanza, and kindle. Are there any others I should be checking out??

I was wondering any opinions on the various apps in regards to ease of use, features, ease to read, and book availability. Also, what are the differences in format? Like could I download a book and read it in any of them? What are the different restrictions between the different apps? Like, correct me if I'm wrong but if I download a book from amazon it can only be used in kindle right? Also, which app allows you with the cheapest (or free) book downloads?

Thanks for any advice!