Need new Phone that reads ebooks

Berni · 03-15-2010, 11:41 PM

I need a new phone (3G) but would like to be able to read ebooks on it, iPhone is out of the question because of the data costs so would appreciate recommendations on what to look for - have a lot of ebooks in rtf format which I would like to have a few at a time available to read instead of carrying around a separate ebook reader (which I have - a Bebook). Any advice would help. Thanks Berni

daffy4u · 03-15-2010, 11:46 PM

The Palm Pre or Pixi are 3G and have a couple of book reading apps. They are also free until Saturday from Radio Shack with a 2 year Sprint Contract.

Dulin's Books · 03-16-2010, 12:18 AM

i just read that htc phones are going to get some ebook format support. i only read the title not the article but it was today so you should be able to google it.

Dulin's Books · 03-16-2010, 12:19 AM

actually there's a thread now https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73686

wallcraft · 03-16-2010, 12:58 AM

Both MobiPocket and eReader have support for lots of types of phones. I only linked to eReader because MobiPocket is almost dead. The existing software works (well in many cases) but most likely won't ever be upgraded.

There is a trend for newer Readers to only work with smart phones (Kindle replaces Mobipocket, and B&N Reader replaces eReader). The order of introduction seems to be iPhone, BlackBerry, Android (with Android not out yet). As has been mentioned, HTC may be introducing its own ePub-based service for its WinMobile phones.

In my view, Android is the wave of the future. There are good DRM-free Reading apps already, plus a beta from eReader, and soon everyone that matters will have an Android Reader app (see Reading on Android).

All the above probably require you to convert from RTF to something else. The only exception I am aware of is uBook for WinMobile.

foghat · 03-16-2010, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berni

I need a new phone (3G) but would like to be able to read ebooks on it, iPhone is out of the question because of the data costs so would appreciate recommendations on what to look for - have a lot of ebooks in rtf format which I would like to have a few at a time available to read instead of carrying around a separate ebook reader (which I have - a Bebook). Any advice would help. Thanks Berni

I am curious about your iphone data comment. Isn't pretty much any phone that is decent for reading on going to have a data issue? As anything with a decent enough sized screen for reading would be classified as a 'smart' phone - email, internet, etc. No?

Not doubting you, just curious.

clockworkzombie · 03-16-2010, 06:13 PM

Nokia smartphones can handle ebooks too, generally mobipocket.

ChrisC333 · 03-16-2010, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foghat

I am curious about your iphone data comment. Isn't pretty much any phone that is decent for reading on going to have a data issue? As anything with a decent enough sized screen for reading would be classified as a 'smart' phone - email, internet, etc. No?

Not doubting you, just curious.

I had the same thoughts, and am also curious about the answer. Why would getting the iPhone be any more expensive than any other similar 3g device?

Is there something about the iPhone that does the job differently? I know that iPhones have a tendency to keep making small unexpected data calls - which make it look a bit like ET trying to phone home every few hours - but they don't seem that critical if you have the right plan. We ended up disabling some of the features that we didn't use on ours, not because it blew the cost out badly, but because it was kind of irritating to see a steady stream of unexplained small data calls. However, I'd thought that most 'smart phones' might have a similar pattern of behaviour and cost. Is that not so?

Bremen Cole · 03-16-2010, 07:24 PM

I have an iPhone, wife has a Palm Pre. Data plans are the same price, pretty standard really. The iPhone is a 10 times better reader. Apps for all the major players, larger screen and just plain works better. I do not understand your problem with the iPhone data plan price. I got the iPhone 3G for $100 (Wal-mart) and the unlimited data plan is $30.... I'm sure there a a few dollar cheaper plans out there somewhere, but not by more than a few bucks....

=X= · 03-17-2010, 12:18 PM

Before you buy a phone to read on I'd recommend you research what kind of books and what bookstore you plan on buying from.

For instance if you plan to buy from B&N or Amazon they only support BlackBerrys and iPhones.

Mobipocket has support for most phones

eReader/Fictionwise support iPhone/BlackBerry/Android/WinMo

If you don't plan on reading DRM books then most of the phones listed here should work.

vaughnmr · 03-17-2010, 02:07 PM

It may depend on your area (and cell coverage). Where I live, ATT has very poor coverage when you get a few miles away from the main highway, and the iphone locks you into ATT. Also, their total package is 33% higher than my Sprint package:

ATT: $39.99 450min voice + $30.00 data + $20.00 txt msg + $9.99 gps navigation = $99.98

Sprint: $69.99 450min/unlimited data/unlimited txt msg/unlimited gps navigation

ATT likes to charge you for all the little extras, so it builds up quick. Looks nice in the ads, though.

=X= · 03-18-2010, 01:03 PM

With sprint your pretty much limited to WinMo and Palm smart phones. BlackBerrys are awesome phones but I'd only recommend the Storm for reading, rumor has it. Also the sprint now has the Nexus One an Andrioid phone which has two reading clients for ePUB and for eReader.

Of course you can bypass some of the extra charges ATT & Verizon charge by using tools like Google Voice and Google Maps. If you bought a BB you can use BlackBerry's Maps.

Google Voice gives you unlimited text messages since it uses your data plan to transfer your text.

Of course this solution does not work with the iPhone.

=X=

Kris777 · 03-18-2010, 11:01 PM

http://www.phonenews.com/t-mobile-of...details-10549/

The T-Mobile HTC HD2 will also be pre-loaded with a new Barnes & Noble eBook reader application that will pair with a pre-existing or new Barnes & Noble account for ebook purchases and the latest version of the MobiTV streaming video service along with including digital copies of the first Transformers and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen formatted for the device.

Lemurion · 03-22-2010, 12:22 PM

I have a Motorola Droid which I use as a backup reader and it works very well.

I use both Aldiko and eReader on it and have no problems with either. I tried FBReaderj and while it worked well it didn't really do anything more that I needed than Aldiko so I removed it to cut down on the number of apps.

The biggest advantage I've found with the Droid is the screen - it's 854x480 at 3.7" so it's both a little bigger and a lot higher resolution than the iPhone which runs 480x320 at 3.5". (It's 266 DPI against 160 DPI.)

If you're on Verizon I would strongly recommend at least looking at the Droid - I've read a complete novel on it with no problems at all.

petermillard · 03-22-2010, 01:25 PM

Wow, those tariffs are steep; here in the UK I pay £35 UKP per month for 300 mins of voice with unlimited data, texts and wifi hotspot access from a national carrier; there are three networks to choose from, all running very similar deals.

And FWIW, I read very happily on an iPhone - prefer it to my Cybook, actually...

Cheers, Pete

03-15-2010, 11:41 PM	#1
Berni Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 500010 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mio	Need new Phone that reads ebooks I need a new phone (3G) but would like to be able to read ebooks on it, iPhone is out of the question because of the data costs so would appreciate recommendations on what to look for - have a lot of ebooks in rtf format which I would like to have a few at a time available to read instead of carrying around a separate ebook reader (which I have - a Bebook). Any advice would help. Thanks Berni

03-17-2010, 02:07 PM	#11
vaughnmr Ebook Reader Posts: 605 Karma: 3205128 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas Device: Kindle 3, HTC Evo, HTC View	It may depend on your area (and cell coverage). Where I live, ATT has very poor coverage when you get a few miles away from the main highway, and the iphone locks you into ATT. Also, their total package is 33% higher than my Sprint package: ATT: $39.99 450min voice + $30.00 data + $20.00 txt msg + $9.99 gps navigation = $99.98 Sprint: $69.99 450min/unlimited data/unlimited txt msg/unlimited gps navigation ATT likes to charge you for all the little extras, so it builds up quick. Looks nice in the ads, though. Last edited by vaughnmr; 03-17-2010 at 02:10 PM.

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03-15-2010, 11:46 PM	#2
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	The Palm Pre or Pixi are 3G and have a couple of book reading apps. They are also free until Saturday from Radio Shack with a 2 year Sprint Contract.

03-16-2010, 12:18 AM	#3
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	i just read that htc phones are going to get some ebook format support. i only read the title not the article but it was today so you should be able to google it.

03-16-2010, 12:19 AM	#4
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	actually there's a thread now https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73686

03-16-2010, 12:58 AM	#5
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	Both MobiPocket and eReader have support for lots of types of phones. I only linked to eReader because MobiPocket is almost dead. The existing software works (well in many cases) but most likely won't ever be upgraded. There is a trend for newer Readers to only work with smart phones (Kindle replaces Mobipocket, and B&N Reader replaces eReader). The order of introduction seems to be iPhone, BlackBerry, Android (with Android not out yet). As has been mentioned, HTC may be introducing its own ePub-based service for its WinMobile phones. In my view, Android is the wave of the future. There are good DRM-free Reading apps already, plus a beta from eReader, and soon everyone that matters will have an Android Reader app (see Reading on Android). All the above probably require you to convert from RTF to something else. The only exception I am aware of is uBook for WinMobile.

03-16-2010, 06:13 PM	#7
clockworkzombie Connoisseur Posts: 99 Karma: 11962 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Central Queensland Device: iPad	Nokia smartphones can handle ebooks too, generally mobipocket.

03-16-2010, 07:24 PM	#9
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	I have an iPhone, wife has a Palm Pre. Data plans are the same price, pretty standard really. The iPhone is a 10 times better reader. Apps for all the major players, larger screen and just plain works better. I do not understand your problem with the iPhone data plan price. I got the iPhone 3G for $100 (Wal-mart) and the unlimited data plan is $30.... I'm sure there a a few dollar cheaper plans out there somewhere, but not by more than a few bucks....

03-17-2010, 12:18 PM	#10
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	Before you buy a phone to read on I'd recommend you research what kind of books and what bookstore you plan on buying from. For instance if you plan to buy from B&N or Amazon they only support BlackBerrys and iPhones. Mobipocket has support for most phones eReader/Fictionwise support iPhone/BlackBerry/Android/WinMo If you don't plan on reading DRM books then most of the phones listed here should work.

03-18-2010, 01:03 PM	#12
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	With sprint your pretty much limited to WinMo and Palm smart phones. BlackBerrys are awesome phones but I'd only recommend the Storm for reading, rumor has it. Also the sprint now has the Nexus One an Andrioid phone which has two reading clients for ePUB and for eReader. Of course you can bypass some of the extra charges ATT & Verizon charge by using tools like Google Voice and Google Maps. If you bought a BB you can use BlackBerry's Maps. Google Voice gives you unlimited text messages since it uses your data plan to transfer your text. Of course this solution does not work with the iPhone. =X=

03-18-2010, 11:01 PM	#13
Kris777 Banned Posts: 1,767 Karma: 2520493 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Nexus 7, jetBook-Lite, jetBook mini, Toshiba Thrive, JETBOOK COLOR	http://www.phonenews.com/t-mobile-of...details-10549/ The T-Mobile HTC HD2 will also be pre-loaded with a new Barnes & Noble eBook reader application that will pair with a pre-existing or new Barnes & Noble account for ebook purchases and the latest version of the MobiTV streaming video service along with including digital copies of the first Transformers and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen formatted for the device.

03-22-2010, 12:22 PM	#14
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I have a Motorola Droid which I use as a backup reader and it works very well. I use both Aldiko and eReader on it and have no problems with either. I tried FBReaderj and while it worked well it didn't really do anything more that I needed than Aldiko so I removed it to cut down on the number of apps. The biggest advantage I've found with the Droid is the screen - it's 854x480 at 3.7" so it's both a little bigger and a lot higher resolution than the iPhone which runs 480x320 at 3.5". (It's 266 DPI against 160 DPI.) If you're on Verizon I would strongly recommend at least looking at the Droid - I've read a complete novel on it with no problems at all.

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03-22-2010, 01:25 PM	#15
petermillard Evangelist Posts: 496 Karma: 2384998 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London, UK Device: iPad, iPhone, K3 & Amazon - between them they cover my needs.	Wow, those tariffs are steep; here in the UK I pay £35 UKP per month for 300 mins of voice with unlimited data, texts and wifi hotspot access from a national carrier; there are three networks to choose from, all running very similar deals. And FWIW, I read very happily on an iPhone - prefer it to my Cybook, actually... Cheers, Pete