12 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Book Lovers

[Guest post contributed by Anna Miller.] There’s no doubt that Apple has taken the world by storm with its iProducts, and love them or hate them, there’s also no doubt that we admire their beauty and envy their owners. But what’s making more news than the products themselves are the apps that have been written for the devices that this tech giant dreams up every now and then – from useless to must-have, from controversial to boring, and from innovative to also-ran, a host of applications have been written for the iPhone ever since Apple opened up its SDK to third party developers. And if you’re a book lover like me, you’re definitely going to appreciate the apps that have been written with us in mind, 12 of the most interesting of which I’ve listed belong:

1. Kindle: This great app not only allows you to save hundreds of dollars when you don’t want to buy the actual Kindle device, it also allows you to sync your Kindle books on both your iPhone (or iPod) and your Kindle if you do own one. Using this, you can buy ebooks from Amazon and read them on your phone.

2. B&N Bookstore: This app allows you browse through the books available at the online Barnes and Noble store, read their reviews, and also buy and download them to your iPhone.

3. eReader: A popular and free e-book reader for the iPhone, this app allows you to browse through online libraries and bookstores and read any of the more than 100,000 available titles.

4. BookSearch: If you’re worried about the cost of an online book, this app allows you to use either your GPRS connection or WiFi to search for cheaper versions of the book at other stores.

5. Classics: As the name suggests, this app offers access to and lets classic lovers read their favourite books on their phone.

6. IndieBound: This app shows you a list of current bestsellers in both the hardbound and paperback forms. You’re also able to search for traditional bookstores based on the zip code, a feature that allows you to locate your nearest bookstore when on vacation or out of town.

7. Stanza: This app supports the e-pub book format and allows you to download free books stored in this format from various online domains.

8. Local Books: This app allows you to find bookstores and libraries near you – if you love books and want to have constant access to them, this is the app for you.

9. Library List: If you have a virtual library on your phone, you’re bound to love this nifty app – it lets you mark which books you’ve read and which you’re yet to read and also allows you to jot down notes for each book.

10. TomeRaider: This app allows you to download educational e-books and other resources like dictionaries, encyclopaedias and guidebooks that are available in the digital format.

11. SnapTell: If you want to know everything there is to know about a book, this app does the trick – once you click a photo of the book’s cover, you’re provided with details like the price, rating and description of the book. (See left, just loaded it for free--selective but awesome- ED.)

12. Clickwheel Comic Reader: As the name says, this one is for those who love comics – it’s free and brings your favourite characters to your iPhone screen.


[Thanks Anna. Great stuff--have downloaded Stoptell and BookSearch already (both Free.) Anna Miller is a journalist who writes on the topic of online degree. She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com]