Transform Your iPhone into a gadget for reading

I-reader

Artem has already been partially eased my task review of programs for reading text on the screen of iPhone. Overview textReader published on the site recently. And if the conclusion is that this program is one of the best for reading text documents, we can agree, then on the other formats, as they say, are possible options. Therefore, this review will focus on the comparison of programs for reading in terms of usability and overall "omnivorous." Accordingly, it becomes part of the promised comparison handheld gadget for reading on the go, mostly when traveling in public transport. Here the most important factor is the one-hand, as to find a free seat on the subway or bus is far from always. So that situation, when you one-handed grasp the handrail and the other hand is a mobile phone, I would consider standard.

Basic set of text includes HTML, TXT, FB2 and FB.ZIP, RTF, DOC, PDB, PRC and PDF.

The most difficult case for comfortable perception are PDF files of large volume. Since they are almost always formatted for A4 paper form and later, respectively, this page requires a special scale, which in real time can not do any mobile device. Options for comfortable reading large texts (in this case, the page size, though the file size, too, had some problems) is not so much. Need a large screen size (such devices are not put in your pocket), or a convenient scrolling. Here on this part, as it turned out, the iPhone has almost no competitors. With the objective of the review I have determined it is time to move directly to an account (smiley © Kuzmin).

Compared participated ReaddleDocs, ruBooks, iMobilco, BookShelf, eReader, textReader, MobileFinder, Stanza, and Docs. All programs, except ruBooks, iMobilco, textReader and MobileFinder, can be downloaded from the AppStore. Listed above are available from the repositories Cidia. Almost immediately from the general comparison fell Stanza. Despite all sorts of tricks, the program did not want to see connected to PC iPhone, so its preparation should spend on a separate system. In theory, this program allows you to convert a variety of text formats in the format of ebook, you are working with eReader.

After a sufficiently long familiarity with these tools for reading, I divided them into two categories - suitable for use and limited-qualified. The main factor for inclusion of programs to fit the category was limited ability to upload their own books from a PC. The second category fall programs iMobilco and eReader. The first program developed by Russian developers and is designed to download books from my own shop. In order to get this reader to read books that are downloaded from a computer takes a lot of desire and a lot of free time. To download the books from my own shop requires personal account and some amount in the account. Prices are quite democratic, and almost coincide with the shop Litres. It is a pity that this very promising reader has such a restriction, even though I completely understand the authors. Reader client is free, and quite logically, that corresponds to your own online store. Someday I'm sure it will create your account, put money into the account and test the program in the case, but today I was quite happy Litres. Accordingly, it is difficult to say anything about support for different text formats, and the utility was not created as poliformatnaya.

The program eReader situation is almost similar. It is designed for reading books in the format of ebook, download files from a computer is only possible through the client PC Stanza. Download books from the site Litres program declined.After identifying the user and logon when trying to open a list of his own books on the screen the following message appears:

Books that have been copied into the folder BookShelf, are not indexed and when the program starts are not visible. Therefore, these two programs were also removed from further comparison.

Thus, we've got 6 programs that will agree, not too little. Immediately I give comparison table of supported formats, and only then will describe the experiences of their use.

Format	ReaddleDocs	ruBooks	BookShelf	textReader	MobileFinder	Docs
HTML	+	+	+	+	+	+
TXT	+	+	+	+	-	+
FB2	+ / -	+	+	+	+	+
FB.ZIP	-	+	+	+ / -	+	-
RTF	-	-	-	+	-	-
DOC	+	-	-	- +	+	+
PDB	-	-	+	+	-	-
PRC	-	-	+	-	-	-
PDF	+ / +	-	-	-	+ / -	+

Reading books in text or FB2-format using ReaddleDocs unjustified. The program has no means to adjust the font size, so the text on the screen to bring in a readable form has to stretch (accelerometer works.) In this case, such a text is no longer readable. Constant scrolling on the transition from line to line tiring very quickly. But the program was almost indispensable for viewing PDF-files. This is the only tool of all the above, which coped with the opening of the file size of 25.5 MB. It is a scientific book with plenty of illustrations that are important for the perception of content. Zooming can be performed using two fingers to examine drawings and photographs. In this case, the mobile reading it no longer is, that is, use it to transport already uncomfortable, but for learning the material in a hospital is the best option. An additional advantage of the program are: the ability to save pages from the Internet and a place to store your own files on the site www.readdle.com.

To manage the transition, you can use an analogue time-line, the current page you can add a bookmark with a single click.

ruBooks lets you download books from any folder on the iPhone. The program correctly identifies HTML files in various encodings, understands TXT, FB2 and FB2.ZIP. Does not work with files DOC, PDB, PRC and PDF. When reading books on the road an important element of convenience is the automatic scrolling text. It has three fixed speed, but even at the fastest speed of scrolling text on the screen moves slowly enough. Tap-zones are, but they do not always work correctly. The first time you move a page in the future - there is a string of management. Move the text on the screen can be in sliding mode. Search by keyword is, but on large files search box caused a noticeable delay. Powered coup screen for this control panel is a separate button.Function of the accelerometer when the screen is not supported the coup.

The program is a good tool for reading books on the way, if you think autoscroll speed to be insufficient, to rewind, you can move the text with the thumb of the same hand, which contains the phone. For all the time using the program I never used "night" mode, or more precisely, the regime has not worked. In this program, there is another curious feature. Formatted text FB2 it only shows in a single chapter. Then you need to choose the next part and read on.

BookShelf has limited support for character sets, so safe to be opened only text and HTML-documents in Unicode. Properly maintained FB2, PDB and PRC, which is automatic scrolling, in addition, to manage the movement of text, you can with tap-zones. Works correctly when the position of the accelerometer the screen from vertical to horizontal. Adjust the color scheme of the text.

Files for viewing should be in the folder «Documents» at / private / var / mobile / Documents. Given the fact that the utility is not designed to display documents in DOC / RF / PDF-format, with text documents, it does a fairly good and easy to use.

MobileFinder designed to play on a large number of formats and transfer files to your computer via the built-in FTP-client. When playing a text automatically choose the encoding can not, so some of the texts and pages are displayed incorrectly. At the opening of FB2-file format is not the size of the screen, so scrolling needed to read. The program is tuned to display DOC-and PDF-files. The first display correctly with the images included in the text, at the opening of large-sized PDF program is often an error message that is universal is not.Home directory for the program is a folder of documents, above her, she can not lift.

About TextReader is almost all written in a review of Artyom, so I just give a table of compatibility.

Docs is designed to work with office documents, texts in FB2 the program opens without the formatting. PDF file from the test set to open the program failed. Other parameters are given in the table.

And now, the impression of use.

For literary texts in FB2 format with marking the best program was BookShelf. C can use it to read, holding the gadget in one hand. That the roads are very important. In principle, equally well be used textReader and ruBooks, but superficially BookShelf I liked more. To read office documents fit many of these programs, but most "omnivorous" has ReaddleDocs. The same program as long as there is no equal, and when opening large PDF-files. This is a question of the use of gadgets on the basis of electronic ink. For the home (residential) reading they are also well suited, but should be considered until the missing support for colors and limited support for PDF. So if we choose from these two devices, regardless of the price (because the U.S. price of the iPhone and Ebook almost equal, then the choice may be based on the factor of the screen size (and devices, respectively)) and color support.

A common shortcoming of the iPhone as a "reading room" is the limited battery life, in which he loses many of smartphones and communicators and the Internet tablet Nokia N810. And if these devices can use an additional battery, the iPhone users are deprived of this pleasure. So in the long trip without the possibility of charging, I would not dare use it. Especially if you need more, and communications.