Which ebook reader for iPhone, iPod Touch?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by LagunaManiac

I would, of course, recommend the iFlow Reader, but if you must go elsewhere, you should choose one of the readers that truly supports epub and Adobe DRM. On the software side, this currently includes iFlow, Bluefire, Kobo, Borders, and a few others. It does not include Nook, Kindle, or iBooks which have proprietary formats that lock your book collection into their ecosystem.

Actually, Bluefire (on iOS) will read B&N/Nook books (I remember having to enter password & cc# when I opened the B&N book for the first time). Sony quite pointedly does not support the B&N flavor; other readers may support it, but keep quiet about it, since they are tied to storefronts that use the 'classic', Adobe ID-authorized form, and they'd prefer you didn't shop elsewhere. The Reader Mobile SDK supports both, as does the Adobe Content Server (a vendor may select either).

It's a matter of perspective as to who is locking whom in. In Adobe's perfect world, all readers would be capable of working with either DRM flavor. If you have a Nook device (or Bluefire), the entire world of Adobe DRM is your oyster (you can authorize a Nook so it can read 'classic'ly DRMed books from other storefronts), but Nook apps only support B&N flavor as far as I can tell.

I believe B&N could plausibly claim that they worked with Adobe on the new DRM type not to create lock-in, but to remove the dependency on needing Adobe ID's, authorization, etc., which is a usability issue. From what I understand about it, I think the new DRM may create other usability issues, but that's a matter to investigate and discuss.

[benham]

I checked out iFlow. Liked it a lot! Is there a way to transfer the books from Kindle, Kobo or iBooks?

[robinson]

One other feature that is looming as a big one for me...

Easily flagging words or quotes and saving them for later review (or emailing them to myself). Ideally, the flagged items would be backed up or could be exported to a text file. Do any ebook reader apps have this?

I often find great quotes that I'd like to mark and look at later...

Kindle has something like this, where annotations can be backed up, but they end up having to be made PUBLIC, where everyone can see them.

I just read Little Women (OK, so I have eclectic taste that runs from Wodehouse to Bova to old school stories and juveniles), and have gobs of notes/highlights in B & N's eReader, but I do not see a way of exporting them! (The ebook I read was wonderfully footnoted; LMA drew on a rich source of classic and popular references, some of which I'd like to read; plus, there's some captivating older words.)

Stanza has a great share button for e-mailing an item individually, but again nothing en masse.

I read some sample chapters of a Bova classic (Voyager 1) in the Kindle app and started, sort of, to get used to full justified text, although rivers of black and gaps between words were a bit distracting. I even got, sort of, used to the page turning, by slowly sliding a page across (to avoid the animated slide) (Were they trying to recreate the distracting page turning flash of the real Kindle? :-) )

Problem now, of course, is that I want to keep reading. Yeah, they hooked me alright! (4 sample chapters... that was a bit unfair :-), but smart of them.)

I'm still wondering, though, how to get those Bova ebooks into Stanza! Or, how to buy a Bova ebook via Stanza. Any thoughts?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by robinson

Kindle has something like this, where annotations can be backed up, but they end up having to be made PUBLIC, where everyone can see them.

That's not true. They are only as public as you want to make them. The public sharing of 'popular highlights' is totally anonymous, and you can turn off synchronization/backup if you don't want to participate for any reason.

True, Amazon should unbundle synchronization and the compiling of 'popular highlights' - if only to address the perceived privacy concerns some users have. Though in this case, if Amazon did not truly protect your anonymity, there would be a huge issue of trust that would damage their business.

Of course there is now a facility for making your notes for a particular book public (to other readers of the same book). But again, it is totally optional.

[robinson]

Excuse me, but what's not true?

I wrote,

"Kindle has something like this, where annotations can be backed up, but they end up having to be made PUBLIC, where everyone can see them."

Which is absolutely the case, just as you go on to explain!!

The Kindle app says this:

"Automatically backup all your annotations at Amazon.com If disabled then no backups will occur and your annotations will not be counted in Popular Highlights."

So, back up or not, it's your "choice", but if you do, they'll be part of the Popular Highlights! Which is exactly what I stated!

In any event, you and I agree... the backing up and making public of notes should be separate options! I'd also rather have my notes backed up separately, rather than via Amazon itself. I do not want them storing my personal commentaries!

My major point, is that most ereader apps, including the Kindle one, have no way of exporting notes or e-mailing them en masse!

[robinson]

Just came across this post elsewhere, so it's clearly an issue for many of us.

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?topic=31755.0

"Magenta
Status: Arthur Conan Doyle

Re: POLL: Do you use/have turned on "Popular Highlights" on your Kindle?

I can't begin to express how much I HATE this feature. Even more annoying is you have to turn off annotation back-up to prevent your highlights from being shared"


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In any event, I'm trying to figure out how to copy word definitions from the New Oxford American Dictionary that Kindle uses, but no dice. Of course, it's resident on all Macs, so I'll just keep track of words that way, but it would have been nice to have the option to e-mail myself or copy definitions into a growing list! Other dictionaries permit it!

Fair use doctrine permits such copying!

[trevgriff]

I've been using iBooks for the past week or so and have read several books on both my iPhone and iPad, the syncing is great. FYI I have used Calibre to convert my entire library over to be compatible with iBooks and I have found that I like iBooks over the following reader apps; B&N, Kindle and Bluefire.

[andym]

I can't bring myself to use Kindle - having bought a number of MobiPocket DRM'ed books I am hacked off that amazon won't provide a way for me to read these on Kindle.

I like Stanza a lot but unfortunately it doesn't support DRM'ed books.

I like Kobo too but I can't work out whether (and if so how) how I can read DRm'ed books that I haven't bought from Kobo. Good highlighting, and an english dictionary. I like the fact that it supports Instapaper although I haven't used that facility.

While Bluefire isn't perfect, it does let me read Adobe DRM'ed books I've bought online and does seem to be genuinely independent - and I can buy Spanish and Italian books direct (well, sort-off) direct from the iPod.Setting it up and getting my iPod authorised was easy (I never managed to do this with TXTR - the fact that the help files were in German didn't help - presumably they've sorted this).

Unfortunately you have to sync book purchases manually via iTunes - which is a pain.

As for iBooks - I'm sure I must be missing something, but there doesn't seem to be anyway to buy books via iTunes - although it does sync book purchases. But the fact that I only seem to be able to read books bought via the app/or Apple is a bit of a no-no for me.

[SHOECHICK]

I'm using Bluefire mostly. I hate Kobo and ended up deleting it. Just hated the way it reacted to page turns, bookmarks. I moved all my Kobo books to my Sony Library and then loaded them in under Bluefire.

Kindle is ok and I quite like Ibooks.

[CHunter_Author]

For an IPhone I'm using either Stanza or the IBook app. First preference Stanza

[ianrip]

I mostly use ibooks as it can sync side loaded books to my ipad & 3gs, Stanza bluefire are very good, but the syncing was very useful so its ibooks for now, if you start to purchase books you may have to stick with one reader, get calibre for sure!!!!