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good stuff. but shouldn't the app be free and the books cost money? will apple allow that? if not, they should. hell they should just buy these guys and start a new ebook division for itunes. small, but present.

a book division ... how novel!

Oct 31, 08 - 08:28 am Comment from: dab2

now that is funny

yes.... i still read.... *hides in shame*

but i also read comic books!

Looks like there's no landscape mode.

No landscape, no dice.

Oct 31, 08 - 09:01 am Comment from: jjjj

this is just a fancy UI.

on my jailbroken first edition iPod touch, I have the Books app, v 1.5, and while not sexy, it's quite functional. I guess a new version is called BookShelf on the App Store.
http://www.iphonebookshelf.com/

Reading Ben Franklin's auto biography, for example, is one long scrolling chapter that will go landscape. Also, it has some nice on screen commands: bigger/smaller text, white text on black, and up, down forward, back, and a scrubber. Plus, even more controls in the preferences.

Here's to reading!

Oct 31, 08 - 09:15 am Comment from: disposableidentity

Buyback or buying spree?

Adobe ($15b)
Sun ($3.5b)
Electronic Arts ($7b)

Oct 31, 08 - 09:17 am Comment from: disposableidentity

Sorry people. Previous post was meant for the Sun article.

Damn tabbed browsing : )

Agree 100%, R2..Apple has to set 'landscape' free for developers to take advantage of. Otherwise, reading is crippled on Touch/iphone..

M...
Apple has set Landscape free... look at Stanza, already on the apple store and a free e-reader. it handles landscape mode just fine

Oct 31, 08 - 11:24 am Comment from: Jings

Ok, so a question... can you put documents into this to use it as a reader for anything. Or will it only show the books in the constructed library. We have a lot of manuals (in pdf) and what not for study purposes and we want them on a reader.

Oct 31, 08 - 11:41 am Comment from: Jamie

Yup, Stanza is the King of eBook Readers at the moment. It even has CoverFlow!

Oct 31, 08 - 11:45 am Comment from: Bunsen Honeydew

@ Jings

Airshare works nicely for document viewing. I got it when it was free. The wireless aspect allows you to add to and take away nicely.

A book division... well, they'd better at least cover their costs or they'll be in a bind... and if you've bought their stock you might never see that paperback.

"...showcasing animated page turns..."

I have a client I do magazine page layout for every month, and part of the project includes suppling a digital version of their publication that they post online for visitors to download.

They've seen other digital magazines online with page turning effects and fallen in love with it. They've been after me for some time to incorporate it into their product. However, the trouble is, it isn't doable in a PDF and they don't want a Zinio type of online-only digital mag because it would incur ongoing monthly costs.

For the life of me, I can not understand what the appeal of this effect is Why does anyone want to see this? From a programming standpoint, why did anyone even bother with it to begin with?

I can only think it was done as some sort of a developer's joke to make fun of the techno-illiterate to whom it would most likely appeal to. The very concept is just flat out too stupid for words.

What to see pages flip? Pick up and read a real book or magazine, for cryin' out loud.

Nov 02, 08 - 11:07 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

IMHO an ideal book reader would display books as chapters, rather than pages.

In an electronic medium, the idea of turning pages seems very archaic to me.

In my vision, you would simply scroll from page to page, as a continuation of scrolling from row to row.

Nov 03, 08 - 10:46 am Comment from: Jubei

I love this app. I just wish they can work with eReader so that they can add mainstream eBooks. Perhaps even an updated modern look for these books...