Comments on: Stanza vs. Classics: Maybe I Can Save You $3

By: disney mp3 player

disney mp3 player — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:37:24 +0000

Very useful article, thanks for sharing! I also prefer Stanza

By: Kindle 2: The Apple Angle - TheAppleBlog

Kindle 2: The Apple Angle - TheAppleBlog — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:01:54 +0000

[...] improvements over the original. Without the advent of the iPhone’s success via apps like Stanza, we might have seen a very different Kindle 2, one that improved on physical design and usability, [...]

By: Brady J. Frey

Brady J. Frey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:22:19 +0000

I agree with you on many points of the above, the only problem I have is that Stanza’s typography is significantly weaker than Classics. I enjoy reading Classics more because the margins are consistent top/bottom as well as left/right, and the leading is more cleanly defined. Sure, the buttons take up real estate, but the header does a good job of showing my status, and the footer number is a quant reminder of traditional reading.

If Stanza gets the typographic power (and it’s preferences aren’t there yet) of Classics, it’ll be a killer – or if Classic opens up like Stanza (which I doubt).

By: Mike Business

Mike Business — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:56:06 +0000

Great review of the most valuable app for me personally – stanza.

What’s the exact name of the background color you use in stanza?

By: James Hull

James Hull — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:20:47 +0000

The animation of the page-flipping in Classics is not as great as everyone makes it out to be. In fact, to my eyes it pops and changes direction for a couple of frames halfway through the motion making it extremely distracting to the reading experience. It doesn’t look natural at all.

Thanks for the Stanza reference, I’ve downloaded it and can already tell that it will become my reader of choice on the Iphone.

By: Quick Bit: Stanza & eReader Become Friends | TheAppleBlog

Quick Bit: Stanza & eReader Become Friends | TheAppleBlog — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:01:01 +0000

[...] it comes to eBook reading on the iPhone, Stanza is our app of choice. Best of all? It’s [...]

By: Netjackal

Netjackal — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:36:39 +0000

Really strange. I find a lot of reviews about ebook readers and it almost always only mentions Stanza. eReader never comes up as a good ebook reader.

By: HobbesDoo

HobbesDoo — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:14:44 +0000

Another big factor in favor of Stanza is the amount of supported formats: PDF, TXT, HTML, LIT, etc.

By: Tom Reestman

Tom Reestman — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:34:57 +0000

Dean,

I can understand the frustration with crashes. I’ve downloaded nearly 20 books in Stanza and not had that problem.

Regarding formatting, the vast majority of “classics” do not have special use of whitespace or “uneven” bottom margins (except at the beginning or end of chapters), and to tell the truth I’m not sure if I like Classics doing that or not.

It takes valuable screen space with the info bar and menu (not to mention the footer on every page), and then limits it further because the reader may not follow a new paragraph from one page to the next? No thanks.

Having said that, Stanza does need to support italics and bold, and Classics may handle diagrams better (“The Hound of the Baskervilles”, used here because I had it for both programs, does not have any), but only time will tell.

By: DeanDMX

DeanDMX — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:42:09 +0000

Stanza crashes every time I try to download a book from any repository. Not impressed. I’ve managed to transfer a book via the desktop app, but the formatting isn’t very good. That is where I think Classics is superior. Each book is formatted to look good on the iPhone, so you don’t end up with paragraphs that start on the last line with a break before it for example. Each book is treated with the respect it deserves.

By: David B

David B — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:20:50 +0000

Right on the money about Stanza. I downloaded that about a week after the App Store opened, and I’ve read about a half-dozen (free) books on it since. Great app.

By: Carlo Zottmann

Carlo Zottmann — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:02:09 +0000

Stanza is almost perfect — some passages in some books are hard to read as it currently doesn’t support text styles like bold or italic. In my eyes, that is a glaring oversight… well, it would be, if it wasn’t intentional. I believe the developers are slowly seeing the light regarding this decision.

All in all, it’s an application I would gladly pay for.

Now, the last major stumbling block is the often outrageous situation of ebook pricing. fictionwise.com is selling some newer ebooks for up to $25. Clearly, this needs to change.

By: mogosh

mogosh — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:26:58 +0000

Downloaded stanza last nite along with some classics I’ve always wanted. Incredible. Far more content, just plain better, and all free!