I’ve had my tablet, which I’ve named Walter (I name all my electronics, don’t you?), for about three months now, and I’m still exploring the overwhelming world of the top Android apps. I think I’ve installed and uninstalled a good few hundred apps by now! I’m very fickle, if it doesn’t wow me in about 40 seconds, I move on to an app that does. Since I spend half my life reading, I wanted to find some awesome Android apps for eBooks. Check out a few of my favorites so far!
Top Android Apps for Reading eBooks, Blogs, and News
Amazon Kindle – I already have a Kindle, so I wasn’t really sure what benefit having it on my tablet would provide me. After using it a few times, though, I kind of like it better in some ways. First, it’s backlit, so it’s a little easier to read in less-than-ideal lighting. Second, it’s a little more intuitive when it comes to resizing the text. I can just drag with my finger until the page is just right. You can customize just about every aspect of your reading. Change the back-lighting, font size and even the background color.
NOOK – If you’re more of a Barnes and Noble fan, then I suggest grabbing the NOOK app. Many users consider it one of the top Android apps for eBooks and say it’s even better than the Kindle app. The app comes loaded with a few free eBooks to get you started, and lending a book to a friend is easy with the trademarked LendMe feature. Like the Kindle app, you can completely customize your reading experience with a few taps.
Kobo- Kobo is pretty awesome because they often have amazing deals on eBooks, but what makes their app stand out is the trademarked Reading Life feature. You can track your reading habits, earn little awards for reading (which makes it GREAT for kids!), and check in with friends to see what they think of certain books. If you’re looking for a social reading experience, Kobo is definitely one of the top Android apps (possibly even the absolute top, but I haven’t tried every app out there yet to make that decision) for that.
Storia – Back around Thanksgiving, I did a post on the new Storia app from Scholastic Books. I didn’t have the tablet then, so I was using the PC version. Now that I have Walter, I can let Jacob use the tablet to check out all the cool offerings from the Android app. With features like Read-to-Me eBooks that offer a stimulating auditory experience to fun activities that stretch the story after its done, Storia is perfect for families with young children.
GoodReads – While you can’t actually read eBooks with the GoodReads app, it’s definitely one of the top Android apps for those who love books in general. I actually like the app better than the actual website. It’s so easy to flip through recommended reading and add what I want to my list. I can spend hours just swiping in that feature. You can also use a barcode scanner to scan all your books onto your virtual shelves. I haven’t tried that yet, because once I start I’ll be lost for days in my bins, boxes, and shelves.
Pulse News – One of the great things about having Walter is that I can keep up with the news I care about and all my favorite blogs through the Pulse News app. I’ve tried a few different apps, and while at first I was a huge fan of Flipboard, it kept going all wonky (not updating, not flipping right, etc) after a few days. Pulse News was actually the first Android app I downloaded for this purpose, and I ended up going back to it after a few weeks.
Pocket– I’ve been using Pocket for my PC since the days when it was called Read it Later. I use it constantly throughout the day to keep track of websites I want to go back to when I have more time. Now, with the app, I can sync my Pocket account across both my PC and my tablet. There are a lot of top Android apps for saving web pages, but I’m so enamored with this one that I really haven’t tried the others for more than a few minutes.
There are like thousands of other eReading apps out there, but to me, these are definitely the top Android apps for reading books, news, and blogs. If you have any other suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
I love Goodreads so I don’t download the same book twice! lol Sounds ridiculous, but now that I don’t have paper books sometimes I forget what I have read!!
I totally get that! I have a notebook that I track all my reading in. I started it in 2002 in a tiny book. I transferred it all over in 2011 to a really pretty Alice in Wonderland journal. I’m completely OCD about tracking which books I’ve read!
That is awesome! I have become OCD about it, too. It bothers me that I can’t remember EVERY book I have ever read before Goodreads existed. LOL.. Glad I am not alone!
This is a great post! Very helpful and I discovered new ones,too. I look forward to more blogs from you, thank you!
What great apps for reading! Thank you!
My boys love Storia – and I love the Kindle app on my android phone and my ipad … actually I think that android or iPad is the better purchase than a dedicated reader because you can add so many different proprietary apps and you don’t have to stick to just one
Haven’t heard of most of these apps – I mainly use Nook. Wonder if they work for iPhone?
IT’s so hard to sort thorugh the apps, thanks for letting us know what you prefer.
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Opera.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon.
Thanks