What is the best ebook app?

[Mad Mac Maniac]

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!

 

[odelay]

Personally I use Kindle and find it perfect for my needs. But be sure to check out Eucalyptus, it has a fantastic interface and access to download over 20,000 free ebooks from Project Gutenberg. The app is £5.99, but well worth it - that's the equivalent of a single paperback book, but you get access to over 20,000. Not tried any other apps but Stanza and Kindle are the ones I hear/read most about.

 

[jmpage2]

I have a Kindle and I love it. It is an outstanding piece of tech and much more reasonable at the new lower price.

I have read books on my iPhone and Mac and in both cases it is a very uncomfortable experience to try to read a book for two hours on an LCD screen.

I would heartily recommend the Kindle if you can justify it based on the amount of reading you do. It's very small and light weight. I easily slip it into my brief case when going to the office, I find it indispensable for when I want to catch up on some reading at random times throughout the day!

I think that eventually tablet computers will replace devices like the Kindle, but it will not happen until there is a computer screen that can match the reading quality of E-Ink.

 

[SoSII]

I have a Kindle and I love it. It is an outstanding piece of tech and much more reasonable at the new lower price.

I have read books on my iPhone and Mac and in both cases it is a very uncomfortable experience to try to read a book for two hours on an LCD screen.

I would heartily recommend the Kindle if you can justify it based on the amount of reading you do. It's very small and light weight. I easily slip it into my brief case when going to the office, I find it indispensable for when I want to catch up on some reading at random times throughout the day!

I think that eventually tablet computers will replace devices like the Kindle, but it will not happen until there is a computer screen that can match the reading quality of E-Ink.

he/she wasnt asking about e-book devices rather apps that run on the iphone!

 

[tboooe]

I use Kindle and Stanza. Though I prefer Stanza, I find myself mainly reading from Kindle as I find it much more convenient to just buy a book from Amazon and read it right away. Stanza has a lot of sources for books (paid and free). Perhaps too many which takes me longer to find what I want.

 

[instaxgirl]

I remember I downloaded loads of them and didn't like any when I first got my iPhone (in Jan) but I downloaded the Wattpad app a few months ago and I love it.

Unfortunately I can't remember what I preferred so much about it Apart from the fact that it was one of the only ones that I liked the page turning on it. And you can use it landscape (probably can with others too)

Everything on Wattpad is free, however this is because it has been described as "The Pirate Bay of ebooks".

I don't have a problem with this since I'm not reading anything I don't own, or couldn't get out the library but sometimes the formatting can be a bit odd or strange characters can turn up. I still love it anyway

 

[RangerXML]

Another for Wattpad, where else can you read the Harry Potter books and fanfic (shudder) Harry Potter books all in one place.

 

[jmpage2]

he/she wasnt asking about e-book devices rather apps that run on the iphone!

I understand that, I was simply pointing out that the iPhone makes a poor book reading device compared to an e-ink device. Obviously if he wants to squint at his iphone screen to read a novel, he has the right to do so.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Another vote for Stanza here, the online options combined with syncing to my Powerbook are really nice.

 

[HeatherA]

I use Stanza and Kindle. Stanza works great with converted copies of all of my old .lit ebooks from my WINMO days.

 

[Michael CM1]

Hard to beat the Kindle app. Once I changed the text to sepia, it is a very close copy of how a book reads. I don't know that I would read something like "The Lord of the Rings" on it, but I have read a nonfiction book on it and am in the process of reading about 4 other books. I also preordered Dan Brown's new book, which will probably be the biggest test for me liking or not liking the app.

I already mentioned text color (you can also do white & black), but there are also a few other nifty features. You can change the text size to five different sizes, you can use bookmarks, the text rotates (and locks). Since the app is free and you can find free classic books, I would download it and check it out. If you like that, find one book that costs money which you want to buy. That was pretty much my process, and now I have about six or seven books on it.

I used Stanza for a while, but I didn't like it too much. I couldn't tell you where to get popular books for it. Kindle is about as easy as the iTunes Store, and it's probably the best spot for book selection.

Be aware that because she's a little stuck-up, JK Rowling won't release the Harry Potter series for ebooking. Blah blah blah, it should be read on paper. I've got all seven books, and I just would like to have them in a portable format. BAH at people who reject new technology!

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

thanks for the responses. From my brief experiences experimenting with the different apps they all seem to do pretty much the same stuff... font resizing, color changing, lock or unlock screen, notes, highlighting, etc etc.

I guess the ebook selection would then tend to be the biggest factor, since the software is all roughly equivalent... and it seems like the kindle has the widest selection with the easiest search method. Do you guys think this is true? Can you get free books on the kindle? I know most of the other apps have lots of free ebooks. I guess another thing I need to do is compare the cost difference of ebooks between the different apps.

 

[ChrisN]

I have a Kindle and I love it. It is an outstanding piece of tech and much more reasonable at the new lower price.

I have read books on my iPhone and Mac and in both cases it is a very uncomfortable experience to try to read a book for two hours on an LCD screen.

I would heartily recommend the Kindle if you can justify it based on the amount of reading you do. It's very small and light weight. I easily slip it into my brief case when going to the office, I find it indispensable for when I want to catch up on some reading at random times throughout the day!

I think that eventually tablet computers will replace devices like the Kindle, but it will not happen until there is a computer screen that can match the reading quality of E-Ink.

Yup, have to agree 100%, I can barely read a chapter on my iPhone but on the Kindle's e ink screen I can just keep on reading but on my iPhone I do have Classics but I still prefer the Kindle.

The library in Classics is very small, they have approx. 12 books but they are all famous and "classics".