Best Android apps for book lovers
For centuries, the wisest of men – poets, priests, and scholars – have basked in the company of books to grasp the infinite knowledge of the world. Today, much has changed, yet books continue to parade the streets of enlightenment inside the minds of every thought leader of this mobile generation. However, the Web 2.0 era, with its “Midas’ touch”, has pretty much digitized almost everything form of physical media, making ebooks and audio books the gold standard in education, both formal and informal.
For all book lovers out there, here is a look at the best Android apps guaranteed to please the bookworm inside of you.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Amazon’s insanely popular reader, the Kindle. With Kindle for Android, which puts the vast digital library of Amazon at your fingertips, you can enjoy the Kindle experience on your Android device. You can access the extensive list of Kindle books available in the Amazon web store and download thousands of free ebooks from well-known authors. Since Kindle is a multi-platform application for mobile devices and PCs, you can sync all of your books on multiple devices, so that you can continue reading from where you left it off, wherever you are. Amazon understands that not all books are created equal, so, if you are a picky reader, you can decide whether to buy a book or not, by reading the first chapter for free. The modern bookworm will love Kindle for Android.
Google Play Books is Google’s ambitious attempt to take on what Apple and Amazon already have. Originally known as Google Books, the app has been rebranded to reflect Google’s new unified marketplace that combines many of its services into one big package. You can access a wide range of free and paid books using this app. Unfortunately, besides branding, there isn’t anything really new when compared to the previous version of the app. Even worse, the app seems to have a lot of problems with its interface, according to some reviews on its page. So why include it in the first place? The honest answer is that the app has a lot of potential. In spite of its shortcomings, Google Play Books is still worth having, especially for the huge collection of books that you can read for free.
It’s sometimes hard to believe that the best Android apps out there are free. When Aldiko Book Reader made it as a worthy contender on our list, we were finally convinced. This free book reader is one of the best readers that you can get on an Android device. The user interface lets you adjust fonts, font size, background colors, and other options, which can really enhance your reading experience. Aldiko also has a night-time reading option that makes it easier to read at night. Other useful features include tagging and bookmarking, dictionary support, and a global-text search that helps you look up words, without leaving the app. Aldiko Book Reader is a highly recommended app for book lovers.
Goodreads for Android is the official app of Goodreads, the social networking site for bookworms. Goodreads is considered the world’s largest social network for avid readers and book lovers. If you’re looking for an Android app that can help you find the latest bestselling books around, then this app is your best friend. You can interact with other book lovers around the world, read book reviews, and post your own book reviews and ratings. The app also comes with a barcode scanner that will allow you to scan books for more information by simply pointing your device at the code. You can also use this functionality to quickly add books to your own library. If you’re an avid reader, Goodreads is a must-have application on your Android smartphone and tablet.
Bookworms have the propensity to burn their eyes out from all that reading, especially if they do it on a bright screen. Is this something that you can relate to? Legendary writer Stephen King, in his famous book “On Writing”, mentioned the benefits of using audio books to supplement good old-fashioned hardcovers. It turns out that reading is also about listening. That’s basically why we included this fascinating app on our list. We’re talking about Audible, the world’s largest provider of digital audio books and their dedicated Android app. So what can we expect from it? Apart from the endless audio books, the app also offers bookmarking features and social media integration. And not only that! Other features include sleep mode, button free mode, and the play-as-you-download functionality. Audible is an awesome app for book lovers.
AReader, a.k.a. Android Reader, is another great app for book lovers. It’s really not that hard to fall in love with this app. AReader has a lot of books its database and the usability of the app itself is fantastic. AReader also supports many different formats including .epub and .pdf. Other noteworthy features include the realistic flipping visuals that imitates the flipping of a real page, useful controls, such as brightness control, font size adjustments, day or night style settings, and, perhaps the most special of all, free books. Yes, you got that right. AReader will let you download many titles free of charge.
Wattpad is the world’s largest community of readers and writers. Basically, Wattpad is a place where you can read thousands of books written by some of the best budding writers around the world. Now available for Android, Wattpad lets you browse over 3 million books in its library, with stories ranging from romance to science fiction. You can also share the books that you’ve read via your social networking account or upload the content that you wrote yourself. Furthermore, the app also features an auto-scroll functionality, offline reading, and night mode. Plus, Wattpad has a humongous library of books for your reading pleasure.
No Limit Loop is one of my personal favorite Android apps. Apart from its easy to use interface and cool integration, the app is highly revered for its content. This sweet app comes straight from the people at the No Limit Publishing house. If you haven’t heard about it yet, No Limit Publishing specializes in the publication and release of books and resources from the greatest thought leaders of our time. With this app, you get access to the latest news regarding your favorite authors, including new book releases, book signings and speaking engagements. The embedded QR code reader lets you access extra content found in books; you can also gain points by accessing and sharing news and content on social networking sites, which can later be redeemed for goodies. Definitely, No Limit Loop commands our respect here at Android Authority.
This was our list of best Android apps for book lovers. Let us know which one is your favorite and if we missed any cool reading apps for Android!
[poll id=”94″]
CommentsncG1vNJzZmivp6x7orrDq6ainJGqwam70aKrsmaTpLpwrsSsq2aZnpm%2FsLXDZpipqKNis7C%2BjJumqKNdoby3sdGsZG9uZmZ%2BcA%3D%3D