firecat: red panda, winking (Default)
firecat (attention machine in need of calibration) ([personal profile] firecat) wrote in [community profile] ebooks2011-12-28 12:49 pm
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ebook reader app advice

So here's what I want.
An ebook reader app.
  • It works on both the iPod/iPad and Android smartphone.
  • It stores books and bookmarks in the cloud so when I open the book on a different device, it remembers where I was.
  • It also stores books and bookmarks locally so I don't need to have wireless access to use it.
  • It lets me upload and store DRMed and non-DRMed epub format books.
Here's where my research has gotten me so far. These apps meet all the criteria except the one listed.
  • Bluefire: Doesn't store bookmark data online.
  • Google Books, Nook: Can't upload your own books, as far as I know.
  • Kobo: Stores bookmark data online for books you get through its store, but not for books you upload.
  • Kindle: Doesn't support epub.


Do you know any apps that fit all the criteria?
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montanaharper: close-up of helena montana on a map (Default)

[personal profile] montanaharper 2011-12-29 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
Stanza is great, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't store bookmark data in the cloud, and I'm not sure it's Android-compatible.
moizissimo: dammit, jim! (Default)

[personal profile] moizissimo 2012-01-01 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
It's also been updated for the last time, to work with iOS5. :(
ilthit: (Default)

[personal profile] ilthit 2011-12-29 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
It's not a perfect solution, but if you convert your epubs, then Kindle fits the bill.

[personal profile] cavocorax 2011-12-29 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
If you convert epub books to Kindle, I don't think Kindle recognizes them as books. My impression was that they recognize them as .mobi files, but you wouldn't be able to sync your reading between devices.

I could be wrong on that though. I love my Kindle and I use Calibre to convert books that I bought from Kobo and Barnes&Noble so that I could read them on my Kindle, but I don't think they sync.
havocthecat: the lady of shalott (Default)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2011-12-29 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
I've uploaded a number of .mobi files to my Kindle and never had a problem with them (and that's to both a Kindle 1 and a Kindle 3). Calibre also will upload files to a Kindle; I don't know if it syncs, however, or if you have to manually upload everything.

[personal profile] cavocorax 2011-12-29 03:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry! I wasn't at all clear in my original post!

I was referring mostly to being able to sync your books between Kindle apps. I've also purchased tons of books from other booksellers, and then converted them to mobi and have never had an issue with the Kindle accepting it. But I don't think my Kindle app on my phone would find these books as they weren't purchased from Amazon.
ilthit: (Default)

[personal profile] ilthit 2011-12-31 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
This just in. My Kindle iPad app informed me that I can store "personal documents" in Kindle cloud and read them from all the devices I have with the Kindle software. You have to verify your own email (even if it's attached to your Amazon account) at Manage My Kindle and then send the document to "your kindle account name"@kindle.com and it will show up in your cloud. I just tested it and it works fine with PDFs, at least.
annchi: Xie Lian with soft expression. (Default)

[personal profile] annchi 2011-12-29 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
I haven't tried this, but Book Troupe might work. http://www.booktroupe.com/.

It's cloud-based -- syncs your epubs via Dropbox or Box.net (so you would need to add an account) -- and works on iOS and Android devices. I can't tell if it stores bookmarks, but it's supposed to store annotations, which you could use as a workaround if it doesn't, and it's supposed to make it simple for you to share your epubs via Dropbox or Box.net.

Looks like it only supports non-DRM, though. It's also pretty new, added to the iTunes store this month, so there are no reviews yet, but it might be worth a try.
firecat: red panda, winking (Default)

[personal profile] firecat 2011-12-29 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
Looks promising, thanks!

Did Book Troupe work for you?

(Anonymous) 2012-01-12 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi, I'm the creator of Book Troupe. Did it work for you?

There were some major bugfixes since you last posted, so if you need any help or have questions, please contact me via the support email address on http://www.booktroupe.com

Thanks!
firecat: red panda, winking (Default)

Re: Did Book Troupe work for you?

[personal profile] firecat 2012-01-12 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't tried it yet -- I am looking for an app that handles both DRM and non-DRM. When I try it, I'll leave feedback.

Re: Did Book Troupe work for you?

(Anonymous) 2012-10-24 01:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I downloaded it. But could not get ebooks from box.net. There is a problem ı think in the application
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