eBooks have received a big boost from iTunes. iTunes now allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to purchase and download eBooks directly to their iPhones. According to Teddy Pig, users can purchase books directly from iTunes and add the book to the iPhone using the “Apps” tab in iTunes.
Each book then appears in the iPhone as its own app. With the increasing number of iPhone users, this could be a huge boost for eBooks. No word yet on which publishers are appearing in the iTunes eBook store (THAT IS A LOT OF VOWELS YO) since all the books currently available are public domain. Teddy mentioned he’d just purchased a Frank Baum book and was reading it on his phone today. From the menu of available books, it seems most, if not all, are public domain, like Ulysses, On The Origin of the Species (great subway reading, that one), and Pride and Prejudice. Some are free, some are .99 cents, and some are a big fat $1.99.
Publisher iPulp Fiction has a iTunes library that they are advertising on their own site, but I don’t see any word as to which romance novel publishers will make it easier for Lazy Sarah to Download Books. If romance novels appear on the Apps menu, the iPhone and the Kindle might have a rumble in my handbag for literary dominance. Harlequin, I hope, will jump on this one like damn because it would be freaking awesome if I could drop a category on my iPhone before heading out the door.
As far as eye comfort goes, the iPhone is not bad at all. I’ve read books on the iPhone on BookShelf and the scrolling is a bit more responsive, at least in BookShelf, than the turn-the-page flicker on eBooks readers like the Kindle and the Sony Reader. But either way, eBooks on the iPhone?
iI iam iall iover ithat.
Thanks to Teddy Pig for the heads up.
10,000 iPhones sold a day ain’t chicken scratch folks.
That is a built in customer base.
ePubs get ye to iTunes ASAP!
Given how Harlequin has taken to audiobook downloads, I can’t imagine that they won’t cotton on to this. They have a great deal going at Audible.com, and these downloads are most sympatico with your iPhone.
Anyone else love downloading audiobooks? What other good sites are out there. I can support either Windows Media or iTunes media. : )
iTunes has had audiobooks for a while now in fact there are several Nora Roberts books available through iTunes.
These new eBooks are like regular book for your iPhone.
I can imagine reading an ebook via iPhone on the bus or commuter train by the strength of the screen on the iPhone, but I can’t imagine how that would work by the pool off and on throughout the afternoon with diminishing battery power. The concept behind eInk screens is the fact that it only uses the battery to turn the pages and in the case of the Kindle, connect wirelessly to buy more books.
I would have to find out my phone call died because I burned up the battery reading the last few pages of a Nora Roberts book.
Actually you can already dowload the Palm Reader for iPhone and iPod Touch. If that means that all the ebooks that are available in that platform can be read, then practically you can have any new release on your device, since ebooks are widely available for Palm OS devices.
Sorry, forgot to add the link:
http://www.ereader.com/ereader/help/iphonefaq.htm
The problem is that the iPhone screen is so small I have to scroll continuously. I can’t read an entire book like that; even a chapter gets annoying. I do much better with the Sony Reader and the Kindle. They show more text, so there’s plenty of time for me to hit the page-turn as I’m getting to the bottom. It’s the same way I turn pages on paper—I start reaching for the edge of the book in the last 3 sentences on the page.
Sigh. I got so excited when the iPhone became available in Canada. I don’t have a cell phone, iPod, or e-reader, and I want them all. Except for the cell phone. Hate cell phones.
But I was going to bite the bullet, get an iPhone, and save myself all kinds of hassle by just having the one device.
And then I found out how much it will cost to have an iPhone in Canada.
Never mind…
Suze,
If you don’t want a cell phone, you might consider the iTouch instead. You get everything (including the internet) but not phone. Skip the monthly cellular fees if you don’t want the phone part?
That would be so awesome, I love my iPhone and I would download romance ebooks like crazy if they were on iTunes.
Fictionwise.com (they own eReader) have the Harlequins in eReader format, and their prices are pretty good- especially if you are a Bookwise Club member.
Now i just need to figure out how to dl the app to my itouch (the upgrade) and then dl books.
I will screw it up.
Guaranteed.
That issue of the reader and then downloading books to the reader is the main problems with the book reader apps ev.
That is also why I like this new style of iTunes Books.
You just download the ebook as an app plugin your buy and it opens up.
No fuss, no muss, and they charge your iTunes account.
Brilliant!
I hope the other ePubs pick up on that difference (prepackaged ebooks with a light weight reader) and follow along.
Teddypig- I still haven’t figured out how to connect to the internet on my iTouch. Much less how to pay for it when I do, cause I know it can’t be free.
On the other hand, I finally figured out how to put my pics on it. Sorta.
Just install iTunes on your computer. Plugin your iPod Touch and away you will go. Look under the Apps tab in iTunes and under the category book.
Ev – iTouches get internet via a wireless connection, just like a laptop would. Thus, you would need to be in an area with a wireless network. Some commercial ones (airports, hotels and coffee shops) charge, but they route your browser to their page first.
Teddy- itunes is on my puter. i can do music. it’s everything else that boggles my mind. i do have to pay for the update though, so it has to wait until i hit my laptop. i think i might even have some credit left to do so.
even at work we don’t get the wireless for free which sucks. i should try it at home and see if i can connect here first i guess. it’s wireless.
how much can i hurt my ipod? if it’s possible, i will. lol
spamword- probably9. that says it all folks.
I just bought an iphone and I have been working to get bookshelf up and running. I have a bunch of books on there, and I do like the format, but I am running into road blocks trying to unlock some of my older prc files. Any hints anyone?
Danielle- eReader doesn’t support prc (Mobipocket) files, only PDB.