A few months ago now I bought myself an Android smart phone, and I have to say that I loved it straight away! Or at least I did as soon as I could wrestle it out of the hands of the boy who insisted that he had to download things like Angry Birds and constantly rearrange the apps so that I couldn't actually find anything for the first couple of weeks!
The first apps that I downloaded were Facebook and Twitter, and then I started looking at bookish apps. First, I downloaded Goodreads which I like to use to update reading statuses etc when I am away from the computer. The next one was Library Anywhere, which I have to say I don't really like all that much. I prefer to use the internet to go to the library webpage and use the normal catalogue.
One day though, I was messing around on the internet and I was looking at the website for Robyn Carr (one of my favourites in case you hadn't noticed) and I saw that she had a mobile phone app. Of course I downloaded it, but I don't actually use it all that often.
The next thing I noticed was that on the back of Elizabeth Hoyt's there is now a QR code that you can scan and get taken straight to her website which I thought was a very clever way of connecting books to current technology!
Since then, I have been paying a bit more attention to this kind of stuff, and it seems that there is a whole world of unexplored options out there. Just recently, Avon announced that all their new books will have a QR code which will take readers to a mobi site (m.avonromance.com) where "readers can get information on favorite authors, newly released titles, backlist treasures, videos and multimedia content, easy click-to-buy links for print books and e-books, and special extras, such as value-priced e-book deals."
Just recently Dear Author did a post where they looked at Android reading apps and there were a LOT of them, many of which I had never heard of before.
The latest app that I have downloaded is the Kindle App. I am not sure that I am necessarily all that keen on reading a book on my phone, but never say never!
It seems that there is so much more that we as readers can be doing apart from just reading a book!
And now, I am going back to play Flight Control. The only thing that has to do with books is that if I start playing it on the train I won't actually get any reading done as I try to beat my highest score!
Do you have a favourite bookish app? Do any of your favourite authors have a really good app? Share your favourites in the comments!
Currently Reading
The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Reading Next
The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon and Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt.
I have read two full novels on my Kindle App'd Andoid. It was a fairly smooth process.
ReplyDeleteOn QR codes I believe that there is a site where you can generate your own too.
Sean, I haven't even worked out how to use them, let alone make my own! lol
DeleteI am sure I will get used to reading on my Kindle when I have to.
Aldiko is also good for reading. At the moment I am using the Kobo reader app on my Vox tis pretty good
ReplyDeleteAs one of the few people left in the world without a cell phone glued to her hand (sacrilege, I know), probably the only app I'd really like to have is the library's app. It would be most helpful in the UBS to see if they have a certain book before I go and buy it.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like the Kindle app once you get used to reading on the phone. I love the quote feature for GR updates, it zaps to your Kindle/Amazon page and you can copy off from there. Less typing and less typos :)
Misfit....sacrilege indeed!
DeleteI will play around with the Kindle stuff eventually. For a short time I was actually contemplating buying an actual Kindle but might use this for a while first.
His whole app thing is rather dangerous. I try to avoid games, but right now I'm hooked on one called Dragonvale. Not book related at all, but fun. I have an iPhone so I'm playing the iOS version, but the odds are good there's an Android one too.
ReplyDeleteKerry, I avoided Angry Birds, but got stuck on something else instead!
DeleteI don't have a smart phone. :) My cell phone doesn't run apps, but I'm not a big cell phone person, anyway. But I know my daughter loves her iPod and all the apps!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying The Bungalow - I really liked it.
Carrie, this is my first smart phone. I didn't actually expect to love it anywhere near as much as I do!
DeleteMy mobile phone is about 5 years old lol but I do have a 3rd gen iPod touch with lots of bookish apps and I use it as my e-reader.
ReplyDeleteShelleyrae @ Book'd Out
Time to upgrade Shelleyrae! lol
DeleteI am not so sure I would need all that fancy technology, but something tells me when I upgrade my phone next that will be all that is available...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have thought I needed it either, but I do enjoy having it!
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