No secret here, I have been an eReader kind of ebook guy for years. It has been on every PC and every phone I’ve had running Windows Mobile. My big lament with the S60 phones was not having a version of eReader Pro that would run on them. Same lament with the BlackBerry 8830. An eBook reader that many have suggested is MobiPocket and while I’ve always found it interesting I never had a reason to switch from eReader. Of course, not having the option to run eReader coupled with being an avid devourer of ebook content is enough to push someone like me over the edge. It’s nice when you find out that over the edge is lined with soft, cushy velvet.
I visited the MobiPocket website and discovered they did indeed have a BlackBerry version of the reader application so from the BlackBerry 8830 I downloaded it over-the-air (OTA) and installed it. That process went just fine but without any ebooks in my library I couldn’t try the reader application out. I remedied that with a trip to the MobiPocket online store using the 8830, I found a book I wanted and tried to purchase it. That process kept failing from the BlackBerry so I bought it from my Tablet PC. The trick was to buy it but not download it from the PC which let me download it OTA from the BlackBerry by visiting the store and looking at my bookshelf. This ability to download ebooks directly to the device is a big plus over eReader and very convenient. The new version of the reader even downloads it straight to the SD memory card.
Once I had a book in my library I could take MobiPocket for a spin and let me tell you, I really liked what I found. The library shows you each book with the cover from the actual book so you can find the book easily. A simple click on the book opens it up and that’s where MobiPocket shines. The entire reading experience is user configurable, not unlike eReader Pro, from fonts to colors and everything in between. MobiPocket provides a lot of key shortcuts and even has a tip guide listing all of them. It’s a breeze to hit the "f" key and have the reader go full-screen which lets the ebook content become the only thing on the screen. Simply hit the "f" key again and it toggles back to normal view. Similar key taps will do things like go to the next or previous pages, set bookmarks and other common tasks. I like how they let you advance to the next page by tapping the SPACE key which makes sense as it’s the biggest key on the BlackBerry.
I’m only just reading my first ebook with MobiPocket and so far it’s been a real joy. I love reading books on my phone as I always have the phone with me and I read every time I get a few free minutes. It’s not uncommon to see me standing in some line reading from my phone. MobiPocket for the BlackBerry is a free program and ebook pricing seems to be comparable to eReader prices. Books that have been purchased can be downloaded over and over again from any device that is logged into the purchasing account which is very handy too. I’m not quite ready to make the announcement yet but I could very well be headed to MobiPocket conversion.
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