iPhone eReader Apps

Using your smartphone or computer as an ebook reader

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can get a free application to turn it into an ebook reader. Steven Sands of The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) performed side-by-side ebook reader tests of the Amazon Kindle 2 and Apple iPhone. Comparing the two devices on factors such as readability, user interface, battery life and delivery of books, he finds no clear winner.

Another TUAW contributor, David Winograd, writes a lengthy roundup of eight e-reader apps for the iPhone. Among paid apps, Winograd likes Eucalyptus (*Est. $10), an e-reader application that provides access to over 30,000 free books in the Project Gutenberg database. Project Gutenberg offers single-site access to classic books in the public domain. Eucalyptus gets high marks for readability, but its search options are limited.

Overall, Winograd prefers Stanza (free), which he calls "the most amazing eBook app I've come across." Stanza can also access free books from Project Gutenberg, in addition to paid titles from Fictionwise.com. There's also a corresponding desktop client. Stanza has been acquired by Amazon.com, so it's unclear if the Stanza app will be around for much longer.

Of course, Amazon.com has its own iPhone app, as does Barnes & Noble. The Amazon Kindle for iPhone app (free) syncs with Kindle devices, so you can start an ebook on your iPhone and finish it on your Kindle. Books are downloaded from Amazon.com's ebook store. Jeremy Horowitz at iLounge.com thinks the Kindle iPhone app is superior to the actual Amazon Kindle 2 in many ways, including the ability to view book covers in color. While this is a nice feature, there are downsides, including odd photo layout within books and a smaller screen. "The only question book-loving iPhone and iPod touch users will have to ask themselves is whether a bright, colorful, touch-driven 3.5" display is a better conduit for your reading needs than a dim, grayscale Kindle screen surrounded by 50-plus buttons," says Horowitz.

Nicole Lee at CNET thinks it's just too uncomfortable to read books on the iPhone's small screen, and David Winograd calls the Kindle iPhone app "quite a disappointment." His biggest complaint is that you are limited to books from the Amazon.com store and can't read free public domain titles like those in the Project Gutenberg database.

User reviews on Apple's iTunes app store show that Kindle and Stanza are the best-liked ebook reader applications overall. Some reviewers point out that both are good applications but that the main point of difference comes in the availability and cost of ebooks, with the Kindle app generally accessing a wider range of books at better prices. At the present time, it seems that most reviewers are leaning toward the Kindle app, although Stanza remains an outstanding alternative option for as long as it remains available.

In addition to the iPhone, you can use just about any smartphone or PDA to read ebooks. Mobipocket's e-reader software is available in mobile apps for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Palm OS devices. You can also read ebooks on netbooks and laptops with the latest e-reader applications. Amazon is releasing a mobile Kindle app for PC computers, which is due to be officially released at the end of November, and a Mac version will follow a few months later. The PC app is currently in beta. If you have a regular Kindle model, your accounts will sync so you can start reading a book on your laptop and finish it on your Kindle. Barnes & Noble also offers its e-reader software for both PC and Mac computers.