Barnes and Noble “ the big retail booksellers outfit “ have launched a ‘branded ‘ version of the eReader ebook reader application called B&N eReader. Since they purchased the company that owned eReader earlier this year, this move is no big surprise “ but it does provide another heavyweight contender in the iPhone ebook app arena.
I ‘ve installed B&N eReader and messed around with it for just a short while today. I have used eReader in the past on the iPhone, but it was never a favorite app, and the B&N eReader does not seem hugely unique or compelling “ just as a reader “ on first impression.
Content-wise, this app is said to offer access to the world ‘s largest ‘ebookstore ‘. Like the Kindle iPhone app, B&N eReader takes you outside the app itself, to an iPhone optimized site in Safari, to browse for new books. I did just a few quick searches for books in both the eReader / B&N store and the Kindle store “ and Kindle prices were better each time.
The B&N eReader app throws you a few free ebooks as part of its package. You get two free books “ Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin and Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper “ upon installing the app, and three more when you create a free Barnes and Noble account. You also get a free copy of Merriam Webster ‘s Pocket Dictionary (again after creating your free account).
Some other features of the new B&N eReader app include:
- Free download samples of any book they sell
- Adjustable text size and multiple font choices
- Background and text color options
- Choice of tap or swipe to turn pages
- Coverflow style presentation of your library
- Free online library backup
For me, neither the B&N eReader app or the Kindle iPhone app offers as pleasant and compelling a reading experience as some specialist apps (like Eucalyptus and Classics for example) “ but they both offer massive amounts of good, contemporary content. I ‘ve had all positive experiences when shopping Barnes and Noble retail outlets as well as Amazon online “ so for now I ‘ll be keeping both apps, seeing how they are developed and enhanced, and working out which works best for me.
Have you all been giving the B&N app a look yet? If so, what do you think and how does it compare with the Kindle app? What are your favorite iPhone ebook readers?
B&N eReader is in the App Store now, and it ‘s a free app.
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