Review: eReader app for iPhone

Yeah, I love my iPhone (1st generation)! And over the last month it has gotten even better. When Apple opened up the iPhone and iPod Touch to third-party native applications (also called "apps") I was excited because I knew there would be a lot of apps for reading ebooks coming out. A few looked really good, and believe it or not, an ebook reading app wasn’t the first thing I put on my iPhone. After mulling it over, reading the reviews and doing a cost-benefit analysis (totally kidding), I came to the conclusion that the app that is simply called eReader would work the best for me. And so for it has met and/or exceeded all my expectations.

The Basics: Why I Decided on eReader

First, let me say that eReader is made by the same cool folks who bring you the Fictionwise website – a large online store for ebooks. For me, that was a big plus. I don’t have a lot of time to scour the internet searching for an ebook I want to read. Fictionwise has a great selection and their prices seem fair (of course, they could always be cheaper). Just as a comparison, I also have the Sony Reader P-500, and have been disappointed by Sony’s ebook store’s slim selection.

Another big plus was the fact that eReader was a free app to download to my iPhone. And I’m not just talking about the free-to-try-but-to-get-the-cool-stuff-you-have-to-buy type of free either. It was just free, plain and simple. Another ebook reading app I was looking cost almost $10 and I would have had to download special software (which I tried and couldn’t get it working, despite my best efforts) onto my computer. That brings me to my next point…

Ease of use! The description of eReader and many of the reviews said it was a very easy, intuitive app to use. In other words: No technical skills needed. My experience with eReader has confirmed what many other users are saying as I have found it a breeze to use.

The Nuts & Bolts: Using eReader

Let’s say I see a book I really want on Fictionwise. I log into my account, buy the book, and once it’s on my virtual "bookshelf", I’m all set to go. I then go to my iPhone and open up the eReader app and download the book. After that, the book is on my iPhone and there is no internet connection required to read it. I read much of my first book on the flight out to Idaho, which I briefly discussed in this post.

That is pretty much it. There is no special software to download and figure out on my computer. No programming knowledge needed. I didn’t have to hack my iPhone. And the book remains there for as long as I want.

When I want to get some reading done I just open up eReader, and it will take me to the page where I last left off automatically. Or, I can go back to the virtual "bookshelf" on the app and select another book to read and it will take me to the last page I left off there as well. Pretty simple, huh?

Features of eReader

Here are a few features of the eReader. For a complete list, including an FAQ, go straight to their website here.

- Ability to download ebooks from any site supporting eReader’s PDB format (other formats will work as well, but PDB seems to be the standard).

- Ability to change screen orientation so you can read in landscape mode or normal page mode.

- Can change the text to white with black background and vice versa (this is a new feature added in the eReader 1.1 update release.

- Can sort your bookshelf by title, author, date, etc.

- And much, much more!

Is there a catch?

For me, there is no catch – eReader is a good simple program that meets my needs. With that said, I don’t want to sound like brainless fanboy in reviewing this app. There are a few downsides, as people will quickly point out in the reviews of eReader on iTunes. Many people don’t like the fact that this app is tied to the Fictionwise website. Some people think it needs more, very specific features. Others just don’t like it for no apparent reason.

My point is that it may not be perfect for everyone and I would highly recommend that you do your homework and investigate all the ereaders available to you out there. This one just happens to be a good fit for me and for the way I use it. But that certainly won’t apply to everyone.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, the best thing I like about eReader, which can be said about any capable ebook reading app out there – it works on my iPhone. Gone are the days when I have to lug around a secondary ebook reading device (i.e. Sony Reader) and break my back. Now everything I need is on one simple device, which frees up a lot of space in my book bag.

In fact, I’m not the only one who feels this way. According to this post from Teleread, it’s being reported by Fictionwise that the iPhone is starting to take business away from the Amazon Kindle. To be fair, however, many dislike the iPhone screen for long periods of reading because of the LED screen (the Kindle has uses e-ink which I agree is easier on the eyes), but that’s a different post for a different time. As I spend more time with eReader, I’ll certainly provide updates about my experience.

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