I have personally been waiting for an app that could read .epub files ever since the PlayBook was announced. Last year we all thought that Amazon and Barnes & Nobles would each have their very own eReader apps on the PlayBook and everything would be perfect. Here were are 2 months after the PlayBook was released and still all we have is the Kobo Reader, which doesn’t even allow you to sideload epub files you already own. That is until now!
Created by VOS IT Solutions, EPUB Reader is the first eReader that allows for the sideloading of epub files.
Features:
1. Read most non-DRM protected EPUB books
2. Supports both landscape and portrait mode
3. Customizable font size
4. Provides 4 different themes (dark, light, e-paper, sepia tone) for reading in any environment
5. Unicode support for reading books in other languages
6. Includes free eBooks resources to get you started
For $1.99, some users may expect a little more than they will get with this app. However, most users will be more than satisfied to finally have an eReader for their non Kobo epub files (who uses Kobo anyways?).
The EPUB Reader has options to change the font size, similar to most eReaders available. The app also has 4 different options for page colors which should appeal to most readers. One of the major issues most users will have with the app is the lack of traditional page turns. To scroll through the text, you slide the text up with your finger, similar to how you scroll a long webpage. The text is not laid out on individual pages like you would expect, instead it is basically one very long page that is broken up by chapters. I have to admit though, there is absolutely no down side to scrolling as opposed to swiping to switch pages. After about 5 minutes, I began to enjoy the process better than the traditional page swiping.
If you have been looking for an app to display all of your epub files, do yourself a favor and check out the EPUB Reader. Besides there being no other options, it actually is a pretty solid app that does everything a reader would expect from an epub app.
Update: EPUB Reader was updated to version 1.0.9 today. The new version includes a couple well needed improvements:
- Added Next, Previous, and Jump buttons for easier navigation
- Added Bookmarks
- Better compatibility with Calibre converted books
Download via App World