03-24-2011, 12:58 PM | #1 |
Connoisseur
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Device: Sony PRS T3S, android phone
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Getting started with ebooks on an android phone
Probably not the best time to start an online conversation as I'm heading away on holiday at the weekend so I'll only be seeing replies for the next couple of days, but I've just got a fairly basic android phone, (running version 2.1) and I'd really appreciate some advice about e-book applications. My library consists of around 1 GB of books, mainly DRM free Mobi though with some EPUB. Unlike with my E ink reader, I'm not proposing to put everything onto my device, just a handful of things at any one time and I can always convert between formats, but would quite like not to have to do so.
From general browsing, I'm guessing that the best program for reading EPUB is Aldiko. Is that right? Would Kindle for android work for .mobi and .prc books? With either program, can I transfer standard formatted books to my phone by copying them directly on to the SD card and opening them from a file location or will I have to transfer them through the program itself or a web interface? Will I have access to he files ad be able to sort by gene etc? Any general comments about using either program? I don't have a data plan on my phone, so I'm keen to use WiFi as much as possible and work offline when I'm away from home or the office. Will either program "dial home" automatically or can sync be disabled? If I install the Kindle app will I have to connect the Mobi books I already own with my Amazon account or will Kindle simply see them as local files that it can read? Do I have to connect the program with my Amazon account at all for it to work? If I do, will I have to turn on one click ordering on my account or can I do so only if I'm about to buy a book? (I've never had a Kindle so I've never bought ebooks from Amazon). Any basic advice would be greatly appreciated -- I feel a bit as if the questions I have are on the level of "fire hot, tree pretty" compared to the general technical expertise in this part of the forum. (Any links to good guides for new android users would also be much appreciated although I think I've probably got to grips with most of the basic functionality). |
03-24-2011, 01:17 PM | #2 |
Wizard
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For epub I would recommend coolreader
just copy the files to your phone and you can open them. You should be able to read mobi books with kindle app but I have not used it so can't comment on it. There is a thread for reader app it has all the reader apps and what formats they support. |
03-24-2011, 02:11 PM | #3 |
Fanatic
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Since your books are DRM-free and can easily be converted with Calibre, you have a wide choice of readers. A few months ago I'd have agreed that Aldiko was the best, but the new version with DRM support leaves me cold. (It's very bloated, and seems to lack some things, like true zero margins.) An older version is available on their website but would need to be sideloaded.
Currently I'm using Coolreader also and recommend it highly. |
03-24-2011, 02:44 PM | #4 | |
e-reading since 2008
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03-24-2011, 02:46 PM | #5 |
Bookaholic
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Kindle app works great for mobi/prc books, just put the books in the Kindle folder on your sd card.
For ePub look at either Aldiko, Coolreader or Moon+ |
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