Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sunday Salon: There's an app for that!

A few months ago now I bought myself an Android smart phone, and I have to say that I loved it straight away! Or at least I did as soon as I could wrestle it out of the hands of the boy who insisted that he had to download things like Angry Birds and constantly rearrange the apps so that I couldn't actually find anything for the first couple of weeks!

The first apps that I downloaded were Facebook and Twitter, and then I started looking at bookish apps. First, I downloaded Goodreads which I like to use to update reading statuses etc when I am away from the computer. The next one was Library Anywhere, which I have to say I don't really like all that much. I prefer to use the internet to go to the library webpage and use the normal catalogue.

One day though, I was messing around on the internet and I was looking at the website for Robyn Carr (one of my favourites in case you hadn't noticed) and I saw that she had a mobile phone app. Of course I downloaded it, but I don't actually use it all that often.

The next thing I noticed was that on the back of Elizabeth Hoyt's there is now a QR code that you can scan and get taken straight to her website which I thought was a very clever way of connecting books to current technology!

Since then, I have been paying a bit more attention to this kind of stuff, and it seems that there is a whole world of unexplored options out there.  Just recently, Avon announced that all their new books will have a QR code which will take readers to a mobi site (m.avonromance.com) where "readers can get information on favorite authors, newly released titles, backlist treasures, videos and multimedia content, easy click-to-buy links for print books and e-books, and special extras, such as value-priced e-book deals."

Just recently Dear Author did a post where they looked at Android reading apps and there were a LOT of them, many of which I had never heard of before.

The latest app that I have downloaded is the Kindle App. I am not sure that I am necessarily all that keen on reading a book on my phone, but never say never!

It seems that there is so much more that we as readers can be doing apart from just reading a book!

And now, I am going back to play Flight Control. The only thing that has to do with books is that if I start playing it on the train I won't actually get any reading done as I try to beat my highest score!

Do you have a favourite bookish app? Do any of your favourite authors have a really good app? Share your favourites in the comments!

Currently Reading

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

Reading Next

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon and Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt.

13 comments:

  1. I have read two full novels on my Kindle App'd Andoid. It was a fairly smooth process.

    On QR codes I believe that there is a site where you can generate your own too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean, I haven't even worked out how to use them, let alone make my own! lol

      I am sure I will get used to reading on my Kindle when I have to.

      Delete
  2. Aldiko is also good for reading. At the moment I am using the Kobo reader app on my Vox tis pretty good

    ReplyDelete
  3. As one of the few people left in the world without a cell phone glued to her hand (sacrilege, I know), probably the only app I'd really like to have is the library's app. It would be most helpful in the UBS to see if they have a certain book before I go and buy it.

    I think you'd like the Kindle app once you get used to reading on the phone. I love the quote feature for GR updates, it zaps to your Kindle/Amazon page and you can copy off from there. Less typing and less typos :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Misfit....sacrilege indeed!

      I will play around with the Kindle stuff eventually. For a short time I was actually contemplating buying an actual Kindle but might use this for a while first.

      Delete
  4. His whole app thing is rather dangerous. I try to avoid games, but right now I'm hooked on one called Dragonvale. Not book related at all, but fun. I have an iPhone so I'm playing the iOS version, but the odds are good there's an Android one too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kerry, I avoided Angry Birds, but got stuck on something else instead!

      Delete
  5. I don't have a smart phone. :) My cell phone doesn't run apps, but I'm not a big cell phone person, anyway. But I know my daughter loves her iPod and all the apps!

    I hope you're enjoying The Bungalow - I really liked it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carrie, this is my first smart phone. I didn't actually expect to love it anywhere near as much as I do!

      Delete
  6. My mobile phone is about 5 years old lol but I do have a 3rd gen iPod touch with lots of bookish apps and I use it as my e-reader.

    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am not so sure I would need all that fancy technology, but something tells me when I upgrade my phone next that will be all that is available...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't have thought I needed it either, but I do enjoy having it!

      Delete

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