The App Store is a rapidly evolving platform and its strength lies with the developers who strike with vengeance time and again. The App Store might have crossed a 100,000 apps but only a small fraction stand out among the rest. And the best part arrives when developers take criticism in their stride to re-invent an app in a totally new avatar that blows you away. So what does all this have to do with AudioBookShelf, you may ask? AudioBookShelf is one such app that underwent a complete makeover and transformed in to something totally different.
AudioBookShelf comes from the makers of Audiobooks, an app having a vast collection of audiobooks. Audiobooks gave access to over 1800 books through the immense library of the Librivox Project. Although it was a good way to listen to audiobooks on your iPhone, the poorly designed interface hampered the usability of the app. The developers put some thought into it and redesigned the interface from scratch to unveil the AudioBookShelf app.
A Redesigned Interface
AudioBookShelf presents a few highly popular audiobooks in a sparkling new interface for your listening pleasure. At the moment, the app includes twelve popular books based on data collected from the Audibooks app, with more books due to be added later based on feedback from the community. I would have loved the ability to search and add books from 1800+ books available in the Librivox Project.
The user interface is the biggest talking point about the app more than anything else. The app tries its best to bridge the gap between reading a paperback novel and listening one in the digital format. The twelve audiobooks are neatly arranged in a wooden bookshelf and attention to detailing such as size and thickness of the original book has been taken into account. A swipe is all it takes to shuffle through the books and tap brings up the book’s runtime, narrator’s name and the Play button. Tapping on the play button opens the book and the download begins chapterwise.
Get Closer to Reality
The play interface resembles an open book and has all the chapters listed on the left hand side. The right hand side has the chapter name, duration, playback controls and the volume slider. One can even play the books at 2x the normal speed but I found it too fast for my liking. The sleep timer can come in handy if you doze off while reading books—or listening to books as is the case here. Automatic Bookmarking, a feature that resumes the book where you last left it, is perfect for folks who are always in a hurry and close the app without completing a chapter.
A Book Shelf in Your Hand
It wouldn’t have hurt to bundle the first chapter of each book within the app itself, something the developers need to give some thought. The app has the ability to download chapters to be able to listen in the absence of a network connection. If you do not have access to 3G service then downloading them on the fly can be a pain, so make sure you download them over WiFi before leaving your home.
All in all, AudioBookShelf deserves applause for its slick interface. The future versions hold promise with addition of new books and possibly more features. Digital format books can not replace the feel and scent of paper but provide an alternative way to catch up on your favorite novels. Catch history’s most treasured masterpieces in the form of audiobooks for just $1.99.
Giveaway
It’s apps like these we can’t resist having giveaways for. Thankfully, the guys at Travelling Classics were kind enough to offer three codes for giveaway. Leave a comment mentioning which Librivox audiobook you’d like to see added to the collection, or send out a twitter retweet.
Winners: Josh, Abhimat and @themba on twitter.
