iPad Best eBook reader app for DRM ePub

[BBel]

I have a Kobo reader so most of my books are epub files (DRM and non DRM) my hubby has an iPhone and will soon have an iPad so want to know most appropriate app (highly unlikely to be the kobo one if it's anything like their software for the device!) for him to be able to read the books i purchase (after registering his device with ADE of course)
Thanks for your help

[scottjl]

kobo has an app on the ipad. it's free to download, and will pull down all your purchases from their web site. so you might want to start with that. it's the least hassle. it is sort of bare bones right now but kobo's made some effort on this forum to ask users what features they'd like to see added so it might be improving soon.

if their app doesn't work well for you, you can import DRM free epub files into iBooks through iTunes. there are also several other epub readers (readme is one) available in the itunes app store, just do a search on epub.

[BBel]

Thanks for that, I haven't purchased through the kobo software (in Oz land it is just a link to border's online store and I don't like their selection) so will look at that last one you mentioned as I'm pretty sure I have got DRM ePubs as well as the DRM free ones (not sure how to tell the diff to be honest but figure default is gonna be DRM encumbered).

[ATimson]

For iPhone, there's an app called txtr that supports ADE DRM.

There's not an iPad-native version yet. No idea if they're working on one, either, since I don't read German.

[6charlong]

The trouble with readme is that it won't render ePub files with DRM. I have lots of Kobo books too but all of my Kobo books have DRM. The Kobo DRM-free books I've looked at are all for reading on-line. readme only costs $1.99 so you could try it with your DRM-free books if you like, or you could just import them into iBooks. iBooks is a very nice book reader for DRM-free ePub but it won't render books with Adobe DRM.

At present, there is nothing for the iPad that can render books with Adobe DRM. Like ScottJL said, Kobo posted a request to learn if people would like to have the Kobo reader do ePub with Adobe DRM. Most people responded very positively--I didn't post myself but would love that feature too--so there's hope they might upgrade their app in the future.

The Kobo app will import all of your Kobo books by the way but the DRM situation with it is pretty awkward.

[HarryT]

Your best bet (in countries where it's legal to do so) is to remove the DRM and then use iBooks.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Your best bet (in countries where it's legal to do so) is to remove the DRM and then use iBooks.

Agree, and I would add even in countries where it's "illegal" to do so. If you are not computer savvy to do that, then the various reader apps are the way to go. Kobo, ibooks both read ePubs with DRM, if the books are bought from their stores....

[ATimson]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Kobo, ibooks both read ePubs with DRM, if the books are bought from their stores....

I suspect that Kobo on iPad - like Kobo on iPhone - doesn't use the ePub version of books from their stores; rather, it downloads the "Web/Mobile" version.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by ATimson

I suspect that Kobo on iPad - like Kobo on iPhone - doesn't use the ePub version of books from their stores; rather, it downloads the "Web/Mobile" version.

Ahhhhh, I bet you are right.... I went to the Kobo app to see if I could get info about the book I had open. Of course it crashed every time I touched the info button. Kobo is without a doubt the buggiest app I have on my iPad......

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Ahhhhh, I bet you are right.... I went to the Kobo app to see if I could get info about the book I had open. Of course it crashed every time I touched the info button. Kobo is without a doubt the buggiest app I have on my iPad......

Kobo also makes one of the buggiest readers out there too.

[Yvonne17]

Finally it is possible to read library books on your iOS device. This is one of the features I have been looking for for a long time. Please see the CNET link below.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20023016-233.html

I have tested it and it is actually easy to get library books onto the iphone. You can just email the .acsm file to your iphone and then say open in .. Bluefire Reader and it will download the file.

The formatting is not ideal on the iphone. It leaves too much space around the edges and I wish the page turn would be slow as a move so that I can finish the last words on a page while already seeing the next word on the upcoming page. But those are little issues that can be resolved in the future. It definitely makes the ipad and iphone the most versatile reader now.

Additionally together with txtr this is the second app that empowers international readers to purchase epub books and read them on their iOS device. txtr does not read library books though.

[Tvangeste]

Yvonne17, thanks for the great news! Indeed, the blue reader reads DRM-protected ePub files just fine!

[Yvonne17]

Originally Posted by Tvangeste

Yvonne17, thanks for the great news! Indeed, the blue reader reads DRM-protected ePub files just fine!

You are welcome. Additionally since my last post overdrive has updated their app and you can now directly read public library ePub books through it. Again the user interface on the iPhone is not as comfortable as textunes, iceberg or kindle but will work great on the iPad.