iBooks – Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Apple Inc
Version #: 1.1
Date Released: 2010-06-24
Developer: Apple Inc
Price: 0.00
User Rating:
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It seemed only natural that Apple would eventually get into the book business since it already sells most other forms of media (music, movies, video games, etc.). Apple’s iBook reminds me of most other book reading software out there (most notably Stanza), but of course Apple has a distinct advantage over them because Apple’s book reader comes with its own bookstore.
The only limitation for using Apple’s bookstore is that the books can only be read on Apple’s devices, as opposed to Amazon where the books can be read on any device running Kindle. Sadly, you can only shop the Amazon site with a browser, and unlike Kindle, Apple got this part right. Shopping from within the app is extremely convenient and makes the whole experience more "whole".
The iBooks app has a very nice looking shelf interface for storage. As with most other app readers, you can change text size, see the chapter list for the book, zoom into a page or set bookmarks throughout. There are settings in the iPhone settings app for such activities as syncing bookmarks.
I’ve been using Stanza up to now, which has certain advantages such as being able to share books over a network (much like the Nook). Apple’s app looks nicer, but Stanza offers a larger free catalog. I’m sure Apple will catch up over time.
The app is certain good enough to be used for reading books. Since its Apple’s brand reader, you can also expect that it wont be long before they ad some of the latest features other readers have. They have already added bookmarking, note taking, and highlighting in the last update, and I expect that with Kindles new media additions to their reader (books in Kindle can now have sound and animation), Apple won’t be far behind.
Since there are different publishers for the various book readers right now, I tend to keep all of them installed on my device ensuring that if the book is available electronically, I’ll be able to find it on at least one of them. I would recommend the same for you.
Quick Take
Value:High.
Would I Buy Again:Sure thing.
Learning Curve:Low.
Who Is It For:Those that love to read and don't want to carry books around.
What I Like:Good interface. Easy to use.
What I Don't Like:Doesn't have all the functionality of other, similar apps in the App Store.
Final Statement:It's Apple, so you know it's quality. As a reader, it's a keeper.
Features:
• Enjoy a complimentary copy of the beautifully illustrated classic, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.
• Download many of your favorite books from the included iBookstore.
• Read a free sample of any book on the iBookstore before making it a part of your collection.
• Reorder your books on your bookshelf or browse them in a list sorted by title, author, or category.
• Easily adjust your screen brightness to find the perfect lighting for any environment.
• Change the font size and pick from six included type faces to make your books more comfortable to read.
• Find a word, character, or phrase anywhere in your book with the built-in search feature.
• Keep your bookmarks, notes, and your current page wirelessly in sync between iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with the new automatic bookmark syncing feature.
• Quickly find a specific page using the page navigator at the bottom of every page.
• Read your books on white or sepia colored pages.
• Choose left or fully justified text layout from Settings.
• Highlight your favorite passages and add notes with the built-in bookmarking features.
• Add books in the industry-standard ePub electronic book format to iTunes and sync them to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• Add PDF documents to iBooks from Mail, or add them to iTunes and sync them to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• Use iBooks with the amazing accessibility features in iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch – such as speaking the words on a given page.
Requirements:
• iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPod touch (2nd generation), or iPod touch (3rd generation) is required to use iBooks.
• iPhone or iPod touch must have iOS 4 to use iBooks.
• The iBookstore is available in many countries. The selection of books in the iBookstore may vary by country.
• An iTunes Store account is required to download from the iBookstore.
• Automatic bookmark syncing requires your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch have an active Wi-Fi or cellular data connection and an iTunes Store account.
• iBooks only opens books published in the ePub electronic book format or documents in the PDF format.
• To add ePub books from outside the iBookstore to iBooks, they must be DRM-free and synced to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iTunes 9.2 or later.
• Some PDF documents may not be compatible with iBooks.
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