In this post I'm going to be looking at some apps which allow you to download and/or read e-books on your iPhone or iPod Touch. See below for links to previous posts in this series.
• Stanza: free application you can use to download from a vast selection of over 100,000 books and periodicals, and read them right on your iPhone. Although you'll have to pay for recent books, many of the classic works are free, and you can also get free sample chapters of some new books. Visit the Stanza site or watch the demo movie to find out more.
• Kindle: free app which allows iPhone and iPod touch owners to download and read books from Amazon's celebrated Kindle bookstore. Most new releases cost $9.99, but you can read the beginning of any book before you buy it (a great way for learners of English to practise their reading skills on a wide variety of source material).
• Classics2Go Collection ($0.99): the best of several classic literature apps featuring a collection of over 60 works ranging from Frankenstein to Robinson Crusoe. You can get the books for free elsewhere, but at this price why go to the bother? (If you really object to paying, there's a lite version with just six books).
COMMENT
I used to be quite sceptical about e-books, and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to read a book on a screen. Well, the answer is convenience. Reading a book on a desktop computer is definitely not my cup of tea, but mobile devices are another matter. I'm quite happy to read an e-book on my iPod Touch, which I usually have on me, whereas I don't always carry a printed book around. I particularly like the free samples from books I might consider buying.
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