Android PDF Voice Reading Applications

The Big Booksellers

Kindle
Cost: Free
Formats supported: azw, mobi, topaz
Online catalogs: Amazon
Notes: Most popular eBook application in the market at this time. The best feature for those already using Amazon’s Kindle is that the Android app "knows" where you stop reading. If you read a bit on your Kindle at home, you can pick up where you left off on your smartphone on the commute to work. When you pick up your Kindle at home, you guessed it. It syncs. Even better, for those who have rooted their nook color devices, it’s like having Kindle and nook in one unit.

 

Nook for Android by B&N
Cost: Free
Formats supported: ePub, prc
Online catalogs: Barnes & Noble
Notes: If you own a nook, this is the mothership. It has a refined interface, not quite up there with Aldiko, but definitely a good experience. Unfortunately, it weighs in at a whopping 17MB installed, and doesn’t even integrate the B&N store into the app, sending eBook purchasers to the website instead. For Android users without apps2sd (via hacks or froyo) it’s not worth it yet, but shows promise.

 

Sony Reader
Cost: Free
Formats supported: ePub, pdf
Online catalogs: Sony
Notes: Sony’s long-expected app is now out for Android, but only supports 2.2 (froyo) and later–pretty odd considering Sony-Ericsson phones don’t run this version yet. The app does for Sony Readers what the Kindle and nook apps do for their respective readers in terms of functionality, offering download of already-purchased books, text highlighting, etc. One quibble is that it links to the Android browser to actually purchase material.

 

Kobo
Cost: Free
Formats supported: ePub, prc
Online catalogs: Kobo (formerly Shortcovers)

 

Mantano Reader
Cost: Free trial, with $7.49 full version
Formats supported: pdf, epub
Online catalogs: Google Books and other online catalogs
Notes: Supports Adobe DRM and password-protected files. Allows note-taking, text-to-speech, dictionary support, font customization, full range of filters for book searches. It seems to be the kitchen sink of ebook readers for Android.

 

Go Reader
Cost: $4.99
Formats supported: pdf
Online catalogs: None
Notes: This is a full-featured PDF reader for Android. It integrates with gmail, dropbox, evernote, etc., and allows annotations and comments.

 

 

Android eBook Reading Apps

Kindle – The Kindle for Android app works for ebooks purchased from Amazon and syncs annotations and last page read with other Kindle apps and devices. It allows for reading non-Amazon ebooks side-loaded into the Kindle folder in DRM-free PRC and MOBI formats. For purchasing ebooks the app launches the web browser and directs to Amazon’s mobile Kindle Store.

Features include adding notes, highlights, and bookmarks, searching for words throughout a book and on Wikipedia and Dictionary.com. There are 5 fonts sizes and 3 background color options to choose from: white, sepia, and black (night reading). There’s a brightness adjustment dial, go to page, and table of contents. Turn pages by swiping or tapping.

Kobo – The Kobo Android app reads ebooks purchased from Kobo, and it can also import DRM-free EPUB ebooks from an SD card. The ebook store is integrated into the app, where you can purchase ebooks as well as download free ebooks. Ebooks purchased from Kobo are in Adobe EPUB and PDF and can sync with Kobo’s other reading apps and can be downloaded to read on other Adobe-supported devices. There are 5 font sizes, 2 font types, night mode, TOC, page jump.

Borders – The Borders Android app reads ebooks purchased from the Borders ebook store, not any other sources. The ebook store is powered by Kobo Books and is integrated into the app, where you can purchase ebooks as well as download free ebooks. Ebooks purchased from Borders are in Adobe EPUB and PDF and can be downloaded to read on other Adobe-supported devices.

For reading features the Borders Android app has 3 font types, 5 font sizes, table of contents support, a page count slider, and has day and night modes. Page turns by tap or swipe.

FBReaderJ – FBReader is one of the best apps for reading DRM-free EPUB, OEB, and FB2 formats. It has a number of customizing options for font type, margins, background color, etc. It has bookmarks, a network library for downloading ebooks from various sources of which more sites can be added manually, search, volume key scrolling, as well as swipe and tap page turn scrolling, and more customizing options.

Aldiko – Aldiko for Android is a lot like FBReader in that there are customizing options for just about everything. There are themes, a ton of font settings, you can adjust brightness by sliding a finger up and down the left side of the screen, and change pages by swiping, tapping, or using the volume buttons. It has ebook stores built-in and supports importing non-DRM EPUB ebooks to read on it.

Moon+ Reader – The Moon+ Reader app supports DRM-free EPUB, HTML, TXT, UMD, and ZIP formats. This app has a ton of customizing features that would take about half an hour to go through them all, some include bookmarks, auto scroll, TOC, themes, customize on-screen and button-press functions, etc.

Moon+ Reader has a really nice, clean user interface and can browse folders already on the SD card and Tablet so you don’t have to import files to it. You can also download ebooks from the app. The only downside with this app is that it doesn’t seem to use the book’s CSS file: paragraphs have spaces between them and don’t indent, no text stylization, italics, bold, etc.

Wattpad – Wattpad is an ebook community for readers and writers to share their work. Wattpad has over 100,000 free ebooks in their library. The Wattpad Android app has some customizing options for text and background color. It has auto-scroll and turns pages by tapping. It has advertisements.

Download Android Reading Apps Collection

 

Source: Android Reading Apps Review and APK Installation Pack | The eBook Reader Blog – eReader and Tablet Reviews and News