Which reader for iPhone 6/6s/Plus?

kyteflyer · 10-12-2015, 04:33 AM

I'm getting very close to upgrading, and am curious about how various readers are performing on the larger screen. I've been to the local Apple Store and been able to look at iBooks. Same massive margins on the 6/6S as on all other phones, but on the 6Plus/6SPlus, seems to be OK.

HarryT · 10-12-2015, 05:47 AM

The Kindle App works well on my iPhone 6.

JSWolf · 10-12-2015, 06:02 AM

Kindle app also has large margins.

My suggestion is that if you do remove the DRM from DRMed eBooks, I suggest going with Marvin. It only handles DRM free ePub, but you can set things like the font and the margins.

kyteflyer · 10-12-2015, 11:50 AM

Hmm. I've been switching between Stanza (complete with top black bars, but I use a white on black scheme anyway so no biggie) and Shubook 2M. I guess I am just going to have to make some kind of decision one way or the other, Plus or not. Jumping from a 5S, maybe I should do babysteps and get the 6S. OR a cheap android 5.5" phone and see whether I even like reading on something thats the size of the Plus (yes I do some 6" e-ink reading but I imagine the experience is a bit different)

JSWolf · 10-12-2015, 12:33 PM

Forget Stanza. It will never be updated and it won't fit on the screen of newer iPhones. So forget it. Just pretend Stanza never existed.

kyteflyer · 10-12-2015, 11:30 PM

Yes I know I should forget it and I will when it stops working, but its working better in iOS9 than it did even in 6 and 7. I dont care about the black bars. And I still like how it organises books much better than how Marvin does it. I've stopped using Marvin, and am using Shubook2M more than Stanza, because it approximates the way stanza manages its Library. *shrug*.

FlorenceArt · 10-13-2015, 09:12 AM

I've been using iBooks and Marvin on my iPhone 6+ with no problem, except that it's not practical for one-hand using. Turning pages is OK, but reaching the home button always feels like a complicated and dangerous maneuver.

But on the other hand I don't have the same requirements as you. I've never been bothered by the large margins on iBooks for example. So I'm not sure how useful my feedback will be.

jswinden · 10-13-2015, 10:20 AM

I primarily use Kindle on my iPhone 6+. I had a iPhone 5, and when the newer iPhones came out last year I thought the huge thingies were just going to be too big to carry around. Then a few months later a friend let me play around with his iPhone 6+ and my attitude changed in a second! I got a 6+ shortly afterwards. I really love the large screen and it has become my primary reading device. I still like the iPad Mini Retina for reading, but rarely use it since the iPhone 6+ is always nearby--usually in my belt holster.

As others mentioned, iBook and Kindle apps still have big margins, but that is not a deal killer for me. I got tired of deDRMing every damn book and adding custom fonts and what not. Why spend more time modifying than reading? With the retina screen and better fonts I no longer need to do all the modification prior to reading, and using the Kindle app with their DRMed files means I get the full syncing capability that is a PITA with our own or modified books. I simply got tired of fussing over the minute details of formatting and just started reading. The technology now allows me to that.

nrubenstein · 10-13-2015, 01:42 PM

6+ is great for reading for me. IMHO, the 4.7" phone is too big for comfortable one handed use, and not big enough to feel good about using. You will care a lot less about margins on the big screen, as well.

As far as I can tell, Stanza isn't even available for re-download at this point, so I wouldn't give any thought to it. ShuBook 2M is adequate, and the only reader that seems to have the ability to sort large libraries usefully.

The other problem with the Kindle app is that if you like to keep a local copy of your books, the downloading process gets more and more unpleasant as there is no batch download functionality.

At this point, I can't find anything that touches ShuBook's stability and sorting functions. Marvin was *really* crashy for me - probably because my library is large, and it's terrible for browsing. I don't love ShuBook, but it's all there is for me at this time.

tomsem · 10-13-2015, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrubenstein

The other problem with the Kindle app is that if you like to keep a local copy of your books, the downloading process gets more and more unpleasant as there is no batch download functionality.

Actually the iOS app is the only Kindle app that will batch download in any sense. It will download all the items in a collection with one button press.

nrubenstein · 10-13-2015, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsem

Actually the iOS app is the only Kindle app that will batch download in any sense. It will download all the items in a collection with one button press.

Interesting. I'll confess that I never tried putting things in a collection.

Still, it only works (usefully) for the third or so of my library that came through Amazon, which makes it of somewhat limited utility.

kyteflyer · 10-13-2015, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrubenstein

6+ is great for reading for me. IMHO, the 4.7" phone is too big for comfortable one handed use, and not big enough to feel good about using. You will care a lot less about margins on the big screen, as well.

Oh good, thanks for that comment.

Quote:

As far as I can tell, Stanza isn't even available for re-download at this point, so I wouldn't give any thought to it. ShuBook 2M is adequate, and the only reader that seems to have the ability to sort large libraries usefully.

No, Stanza has not been available since Amazon pulled it. I remain puzzled about why they did not put the best of Stanza into the KIndle app. oh well. I kept the last two versions so I could keep using it beyond its useby date. Marvin is OK but it never did what I wanted it to, and Shubook is as close as it gets.

JSWolf · 10-13-2015, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Yes I know I should forget it and I will when it stops working, but its working better in iOS9 than it did even in 6 and 7. I dont care about the black bars. And I still like how it organises books much better than how Marvin does it. I've stopped using Marvin, and am using Shubook2M more than Stanza, because it approximates the way stanza manages its Library. *shrug*.

What I do in Marvin is store my eBooks on Dropbox and then I can load as I want to read. I can organize in Dropbox and grab as needed Works very well and I don't have to have all those book in the Marvin library.

tomsem · 10-13-2015, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrubenstein

Interesting. I'll confess that I never tried putting things in a collection.

Still, it only works (usefully) for the third or so of my library that came through Amazon, which makes it of somewhat limited utility.

You can put personal documents in collections as well (if sent to your account with Send To Kindle etc.), even without downloading them first. Side-loaded documents (Dropbox, iTunes tether etc.) can be added as well, but those won't show up in collections on other devices.

Kai Winters · 10-13-2015, 11:29 PM

I too have the 6+ and enjoy using iBooks. It suits me and I can customize it just enough to suit my reading preferences.
I've tried just about every reader out there for both iphone and Android devices and find that overall iBook is the most stable, supported and easy to use. Kindle would be second.
I have preferred other reader apps but either support ended or they developed problems that weren't resolved...I'm not going to use an app, and I do pay for them when appropriate, that I don't have confidence in.

I really like my 6+ too. I now need only one mobile device for calls, texting, internet, maps, reading, etc. For me it is the one that rules them all...though I really liked playing with the similar sized Android device as well.

10-12-2015, 04:33 AM	#1
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,844 Karma: 9547754 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone 12 Mini	Which reader for iPhone 6/6s/Plus? I'm getting very close to upgrading, and am curious about how various readers are performing on the larger screen. I've been to the local Apple Store and been able to look at iBooks. Same massive margins on the 6/6S as on all other phones, but on the 6Plus/6SPlus, seems to be OK.

10-12-2015, 05:47 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The Kindle App works well on my iPhone 6.

10-12-2015, 06:02 AM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,722 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Kindle app also has large margins. My suggestion is that if you do remove the DRM from DRMed eBooks, I suggest going with Marvin. It only handles DRM free ePub, but you can set things like the font and the margins.

10-12-2015, 11:50 AM	#4
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,844 Karma: 9547754 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone 12 Mini	Hmm. I've been switching between Stanza (complete with top black bars, but I use a white on black scheme anyway so no biggie) and Shubook 2M. I guess I am just going to have to make some kind of decision one way or the other, Plus or not. Jumping from a 5S, maybe I should do babysteps and get the 6S. OR a cheap android 5.5" phone and see whether I even like reading on something thats the size of the Plus (yes I do some 6" e-ink reading but I imagine the experience is a bit different)

10-12-2015, 12:33 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,722 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Forget Stanza. It will never be updated and it won't fit on the screen of newer iPhones. So forget it. Just pretend Stanza never existed.

10-12-2015, 11:30 PM	#6
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,844 Karma: 9547754 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone 12 Mini	Yes I know I should forget it and I will when it stops working, but its working better in iOS9 than it did even in 6 and 7. I dont care about the black bars. And I still like how it organises books much better than how Marvin does it. I've stopped using Marvin, and am using Shubook2M more than Stanza, because it approximates the way stanza manages its Library. shrug.

10-13-2015, 09:12 AM	#7
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	I've been using iBooks and Marvin on my iPhone 6+ with no problem, except that it's not practical for one-hand using. Turning pages is OK, but reaching the home button always feels like a complicated and dangerous maneuver. But on the other hand I don't have the same requirements as you. I've never been bothered by the large margins on iBooks for example. So I'm not sure how useful my feedback will be.

10-13-2015, 10:20 AM	#8
jswinden Nameless Being	I primarily use Kindle on my iPhone 6+. I had a iPhone 5, and when the newer iPhones came out last year I thought the huge thingies were just going to be too big to carry around. Then a few months later a friend let me play around with his iPhone 6+ and my attitude changed in a second! I got a 6+ shortly afterwards. I really love the large screen and it has become my primary reading device. I still like the iPad Mini Retina for reading, but rarely use it since the iPhone 6+ is always nearby--usually in my belt holster. As others mentioned, iBook and Kindle apps still have big margins, but that is not a deal killer for me. I got tired of deDRMing every damn book and adding custom fonts and what not. Why spend more time modifying than reading? With the retina screen and better fonts I no longer need to do all the modification prior to reading, and using the Kindle app with their DRMed files means I get the full syncing capability that is a PITA with our own or modified books. I simply got tired of fussing over the minute details of formatting and just started reading. The technology now allows me to that.

10-13-2015, 01:42 PM	#9
nrubenstein Member Posts: 22 Karma: 22082 Join Date: Sep 2015 Device: iPhone	6+ is great for reading for me. IMHO, the 4.7" phone is too big for comfortable one handed use, and not big enough to feel good about using. You will care a lot less about margins on the big screen, as well. As far as I can tell, Stanza isn't even available for re-download at this point, so I wouldn't give any thought to it. ShuBook 2M is adequate, and the only reader that seems to have the ability to sort large libraries usefully. The other problem with the Kindle app is that if you like to keep a local copy of your books, the downloading process gets more and more unpleasant as there is no batch download functionality. At this point, I can't find anything that touches ShuBook's stability and sorting functions. Marvin was really crashy for me - probably because my library is large, and it's terrible for browsing. I don't love ShuBook, but it's all there is for me at this time.

10-13-2015, 11:29 PM	#15
Kai Winters Lover of Books Posts: 218 Karma: 1073074 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern NY Device: iPhone 7+	I too have the 6+ and enjoy using iBooks. It suits me and I can customize it just enough to suit my reading preferences. I've tried just about every reader out there for both iphone and Android devices and find that overall iBook is the most stable, supported and easy to use. Kindle would be second. I have preferred other reader apps but either support ended or they developed problems that weren't resolved...I'm not going to use an app, and I do pay for them when appropriate, that I don't have confidence in. I really like my 6+ too. I now need only one mobile device for calls, texting, internet, maps, reading, etc. For me it is the one that rules them all...though I really liked playing with the similar sized Android device as well.

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