Rules for the use of electronic books. How to Use Amazon Kindle E-Reader Pros of Free Apps

In order to read books in the popular FB2 (FictionBook) format, created specifically for compatibility with various operating systems, you need to use a special reader application. There are many such programs for PCs that allow not only viewing, but sometimes editing texts. Early versions are designed for use on Windows 7 and XP platforms, later versions are for Windows 10.

Almost every program for opening FB2 supports most other formats. And the best readers are able to read information from an e-book aloud.

For the convenience of users, in the settings of almost all applications, ranging from the popular Cool Reader to the infrequently used Balabolka, there are changes in the size and color of fonts, backgrounds, and page turning options.

But in order to find the most suitable option, the user should look at the top similar programs with a description of their features, disadvantages and advantages.

Fiction Book Reader

Such an fb2 reader for a computer gives the user the ability to work with files that have the extension .epub, .mobi and .txt. At the same time, the PDF format is not supported, but it is possible to sort books using OPDS catalogs.

The main menu of the free version of Fiction Book Reader.

For the convenience of reading the text, the application allows you to switch to full screen mode by removing panels from the screen. The disadvantages of this fb2 reader for a computer include its presence in the Microsoft Store online store - that is, you can install the program only on Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.

In addition, the application is paid - although it is possible to use it for free by downloading the Lite version.

STDU Viewer

The program is designed to open other formats - from DjVu and PDF to ePUB and TIFF. And it has good functionality, allowing you to perform the following operations:

• scale the font size to better see the text;
• choose the page orientation and their number on the screen (one or in the form of a book spread);
• adjust contrast and brightness.

STDU Viewer App

The application also has the ability to print the text being viewed by choosing various print settings. Using the program, you can create bookmarks in open documents. In this case, the files themselves are not edited or changed.

And to transfer information from one computer to another, they use the procedure for importing and exporting a bookmark tree.

Cool Reader

Another popular reader is Cool Reader, considered one of the best, thanks to its support for more than ten of the most common formats and a simple user interface.

The application works with archives, opening books packed to reduce the size, provides reading texts aloud and editing information. With Cool Reader, you can record an MP3 audio file using multiple pronunciation dictionaries.

One of the best readers is Cool Reader, v. 3.3.61.

Among other advantages that CR3 (the last, third version of the reader) received, it is worth noting support for several languages, setting bookmarks and searching for information in an open document.

After formatting, the application allows you to save the edited text as .rtf, .txt or .html files. You can use it with the help of a list of recently opened documents in the reader.

Sumatra PDF

• a simple design that allows you to read the text without being distracted by the design;
• the ability to copy text from an open electronic document in any supported format;
• multilingual interface, including menus in Russian and 59 more languages.

Application for working with electronic books Sumatra PDF.

This program for reading books on a computer can be used as a portable version that allows you to do without installing it. And when opening fb2 files, it, unlike many analogues, correctly displays pictures.

If you download Sumatra PDF 0.9.1 or a later version of the application, you can leave bookmarks in any open electronic document.

Caliber

PC users who need a good program for reading books on a computer can also download the Caliber application for this, with which you can not only open texts in various formats, but also edit them and create your own electronic library.

The program supports downloading downloaded books from the network and connecting additional modules. Using the reader will allow you not to wonder how to open about 20 popular formats - from AZW and FB2 to PDF and RB.

The popular and feature rich Caliber app

Among the features that this e-book reader provides is the conversion of one type of file to another. Moreover, the reader itself does not provide support for all formats.

To work with most texts, an additional E-book viewer application is downloaded and installed simultaneously with it.

FBReader

Among the features of the FBReader application, allowing it to get into the rating of the best readers, we can distinguish:

• support for various types of e-books (including fb2 format);
• simple and convenient interface for viewing text, easily customizable even by an inexperienced user;
• automatic creation of links to books, regardless of their location on the computer's disks.

FBReader program

The only drawback of this e-book reader is the lack of a two-page mode. Therefore, if necessary, constantly get at your disposal a functional and convenient tool for working with various versions of electronic documents.

It is recommended to download this fb2 reader for a computer from its manufacturer's website. The application is open source and distributed free of charge. And the coolest thing is that there are applications for smartphones for modern operating systems based on Android, Windows Phone and iOS.

Liberty Book Reader

Free e-book reader for PC Liberty Book Reader is developed by Microsoft. Therefore, directly from the application, texts can be uploaded to the DropBox and SkyDrive cloud services.

In addition, the user of the program has access to books from the Microsoft online library - although it can only be downloaded for Windows 10, 8 and 8.1.

Microsoft Liberty Book Reader

The advantages of using the application include an option that offers Microsoft storage similar in genre. In the reader menu, you can create a catalog of good books, sorting them by genre, date or alphabetically.

And among the additional features that the reader provides, there is the creation of notes to the text, the transition to individual fragments of text, and changing the font sizes.

ICE Book Reader Professional

The popular fb2 reader on a computer, ICE Book Reader, is distributed free of charge and supports more than 70 interface languages.

At the same time, it opens a large number of e-book formats and allows you to find information faster than many similar applications. Among other functions of the reader it is worth noting:

• reading archived texts;
• quick search;
• conversion to other formats.

ICE Book Reader

One of the reasons for the program to get into the rating is the lack of the need to install it in Windows and register for further use. In addition, the reader allows you to create collections of files of any type (including not only books) and manage them directly from the menu.

And when you start the application, it opens on the page of the document that was last used.

AlReader

• reading most existing formats;
• work with Slovoed and Lingvo dictionaries;
• several options for scrolling text;
• editing open e-books.

AlReader program interface

This fb2 reader supports bookmarks, footnotes, and various styles. You can download it from the official website of the developer. The latest version dates back to 2016, and the list of supported platforms includes not only Windows, but also Android.

"Balabolka"

The rating is completed by the Balabolka application, the functionality of which allows not only working with texts, but also reading them aloud. Downloading the reader will answer the question of how to read e-books on a computer, edit them and record them as audio files.

Moreover, during the recording process, you can change both the reading speed and the timbre of the voice.

The interface of the program "Balabolka"

Conclusion

When choosing the right e-book application, the user has to try out several options. To finally understand which fb2 reader is best suited, not only the list will help, but also a personal acquaintance with the capabilities and interface.

Although, if you take into account the opinions of other users, the best program for working with books in electronic format is Cool Reader, which supports dozens of extensions. Or ICE Book Reader, which can be used not only without registration, but also without installation on a computer.

Large diagonals and high resolution in modern Android devices make the reading process more convenient and fun. Choosing an application for reading e-books, the user is guided by personal needs and tastes. For some it is important to support a large number of formats, someone needs access to network libraries. For example, I will never use the "reader" if it does not have a night reading mode. Someone will say that what matters most is the content, not the form. And here I, perhaps, agree, but I would like to draw an analogy with paper books. After all, it is much more pleasant to hold a book in your hands in a beautiful cover with a clear and beautiful font. The same can be projected onto reading applications. Like it or not, but it is with paper books that we subconsciously compare electronic counterparts. And the more we find similar moments, the more likely it is that we will choose a particular program. It is these “close to reality” reading applications that we have tried to select for you.

- the most famous and popular book reader for android. Although it does not have the easiest interface, but after spending some time setting it up for yourself, you will be 100% satisfied with the result. The application supports all popular formats: fb2, .fb2.zip, .txt, .rtf, .doc, .epub, .chm, .pdb, .prc, .mobi.
You will not find built-in stores here, but you can open the desired book from any directory on the root system of your device. Beautiful background textures, page turning effect and convenient work with the table of contents will help you plunge headlong into reading for hours.

FBReader can be safely called one of the best "readers". In addition to numerous customizable reading options, the app has a sense of style! FBReader looks especially organic on devices with Android 4.0 and higher. The menu, settings, display of read pages and much more are made in the holo-style inherent in the standard Android interface. It is impossible not to note the excellent optimization of the application and very smooth navigation within the program itself. Users can also find various plugins for accessing network libraries.

In principle, another good application for reading e-books, which has one indisputable advantage - synchronization with Dropbox. Having similar functionality to the programs described above, it has a beautiful appearance and built-in access to various bookstores.

Aldiko Book Reader is the simplest and most convenient program for reading books on Android smartphones and tablets. The application has a simple and minimalistic design. In other words, nothing more to distract you from reading. The lack of a Russian-language interface and a small number of supported formats, of course, is a little disappointing, but the simplicity and decent work on devices running not the latest versions of Android has allowed this application to provide more than 10 million downloads to date!

"Omnivorous" application for reading electronic literature. It has an original interface in the form of a "circular" menu with various controls, which is called by pressing the center of the screen. Working with text is very conveniently implemented: selection, creation of quotes and comments, snapshots of individual sections of the screen. The font size can be adjusted by a simple "slivers" on the display. Even if it does not deserve to be defined as the best program for reading, then it will be able to compete with the leaders in terms of functionality and “bells and whistles”.

• .1

  There are many ways to download the reader, of which two are the main ones. And so, let's consider how to load the reader into the book. The first download method involves connecting the e-book to the computer with a USB cable. After that, the computer will see the internal memory of the book in the memory card inserted into it as "removable disks".

• .2

  Then you can simply copy the necessary files to them (these are books, as well as music files in mp3 format). The second way is to remove the memory card from the e-book. After removing the card, it is inserted into the computer reader.

• .3

  At present, it is possible to mount a reader for reading memory cards in a computer (like a device that reads floppy disks). You can also connect an external memory card reader to your computer via a USB connector. You can download the necessary books, applications, programs, etc. to the memory card inserted into the reader by simply copying them there.

• .4

  There are also other free exotic ways to use the reader and download it. For example, by connecting the reader to a computer or the Internet via Wi-Fi. However, only those who have electronic readers with Wi-Fi can upload books to the reader in this way.

• .5

  As you can see, downloading books to readers is very simple. Moreover, this can be done in a very short period of time. You can use any of the above download methods, whichever is more convenient for you to use. You can also try all the methods first, and then choose the one that suits you for further download.

"Paper or eBooks?" - the question is about as strong as Shakespeare's "To be or not to be?". Indeed, the scale of the universe.

We decided to put in our two cents and asked the myth-makers about what kind of books they prefer - paper or electronic, what devices and applications they use, where and how they read books. In general, if you have long wanted to know, but were embarrassed to ask - we ourselves told everything 🙂

I like e-books. There are several reasons for this: e-books have a convenient font and a small gadget you can take with you anywhere. Recently, I travel a lot, so I carefully guard the free space in my backpack. There are no such problems with the e-reader. I use the Amazon Kindle reader.

As for paper books, I often take them in order to carefully examine the illustrations. Otherwise, I prefer the electronic version. I also always have a MacBook and an iPhone at hand. If I read on a laptop, then I use Acrobat Reader for PDFs, which are immediately synchronized with the application of the same name on the iPhone.

Most of all I love paper books. Nothing can replace the smell of a fresh cover, the rustle of new pages. And the process itself, when you first pick up a book from a bookstore shelf or receive it in a parcel, is reminiscent of a New Year's fairy tale. I usually wait for parcels with books no less than New Year's gifts 🙂

Of course, today you have to read e-books as well. They are more convenient and practical, but I believe that, for example, fiction must be read on paper. Firstly, you can always stop, think, leave notes or pencil scribbles in the margins as a keepsake for posterity 🙂 And secondly, I am convinced that the charm of each particular book can only be fully felt when you hold it in your hands, take it Take it to the bath with you or carry it in your bag.

After everything she has experienced, she becomes somehow closer, dearer and more sincere. This is no longer just some abstract book, but a part of your life.

But the electronic reader is very convenient for work and travel. She is light and unpretentious. For many years I have had one single Pocket Book, which has served me faithfully and has never let me down. She reads 8 document formats, which is enough for me.

Also, while working at MIF, I read a lot of books from a computer monitor. This is convenient, especially when it comes to children's books. You can evaluate pictures, spreads, see some details. And in principle - reading from a computer disciplines. You always know that now is the time for work, and you will rest later 🙂

For the past few years, I have been reading mostly e-books. If you need to move around a lot, especially in public transport, the "reader" is an indispensable thing. I am in love with my e-book. When I go to choose a bag for myself in the store, I take it with me so that it fits exactly inside. However, I agree with those who say that "readers" cannot create the same feeling of comfort that you feel when sitting with a paper book in your hand. That is why I always buy all my favorite works on paper.

If you ask me which reader to buy, I will recommend mine - Sony PRS-T2.

I love her because:

• I don’t even remember the last time I charged it, it doesn’t require recharging for a very long time.
• Thanks to electronic ink (e-ink), the eyes do not get tired of it.
• The case (which can be purchased separately) comes with a flashlight that creates the right lighting.
• Most importantly, it has a set of dictionaries! It is very convenient to read texts in foreign languages: you press the stylus on an unfamiliar word - translation options drop out. What would I do without it!
• Enjoy reading!

I read e-books in two applications - for pdf I most often use GoodReader, and I read MYTH books in epub in iBooks, it is very convenient there.

Before (2-3 years ago) I read only paper books. I liked to hold a “full-fledged” book in my hands, make bookmarks, pencil notes. And it was difficult to perceive the text from the screen: it was inconvenient to navigate in the book and did not remember what was read well. But at some point, when I ran out of room for books at home and I realized that the iPad in my bag is much lighter, I began to actively read from the screen. And got used to it. Now I read 30% on paper, 70% in electronic form.

In paper form - children's books, illustrated editions, albums, reference books. In general, all books where the design and visual structure is more important than the text. Or it can be ordinary text books that I can’t buy in electronic form, but I really want to read it. Everything else I read on the iPad.

Myth books are stored in iBooks. For books from other publishers, the LitResa application is installed. If I see an interesting novelty, I prefer to buy right there. Usually this is a multi-page artist and non-fiction.

For a long time, I couldn't get used to working with notes. I read PDF files and tried a variety of ways: I wrote out quotes by hand, copied and saved in different notepads and applications, took screenshots and laid out in OneNote (I have all the notes there).

All this was unsystematic and inconvenient, until a colleague, Dima Utrobin, our commercial director, advised a simple and ingenious solution - to read in epub. This format allows you to email selected quotes to yourself or save them to Notes on your iPad. Everything is done automatically, without hands.

This is a very important point for me. I love it when everything is kept in one place where I can easily get to. Everything should be fast and at hand. As a result, I completely lost the habit of writing out quotes from paper books with my hands. And this for me is another argument in favor of the e-book.

I hardly have time to read paper or e-books, so I usually listen to audiobooks. To do this, I bought an iPod Shuffle 3 years ago (such a mini-version for athletes, without a screen). Very small and light. When I take a bath, I generally cling it to my earlobe. Holds a charge up to 7 days (depends on bitrate and playback volume). I download 2 gigabytes of books and listen on the road or, for example, when I go shopping.

Natalia Babaeva, Development Director

Actually, I love paper. I usually have a paper book completely covered. There is no living space on the margins and endpapers. I write not only excerpts from the book, but also the thoughts born in the process of reading. Sometimes I get to the decomposition of the project =) This is not enough in the e-mail.

I read e-books on two occasions:

1. if it is very long, it’s less scary to read and you don’t have to carry a thick volume with you,
2. if I prefer linear reading along it (without jumping from chapter to chapter). Approximately half of the books that I read are in electronic form.

I love reading on paper. The phone is small and uncomfortable. The "reader" is a little annoying, there are problems with the encoding, but sometimes I use it. I read on my phone before going to bed, so as not to disturb the sleeping person next to me. I read in the standard iBooks application - in my opinion, very convenient - and in Acrobat Reader.

I read only paper books for three reasons. Firstly, it is much more pleasant than reading electronic versions: touching the cover, paper. Secondly, creative books cannot be felt without holding them in your hands. Thirdly, MYTH has too beautiful books to refuse such pleasure. =)

However, many friends prefer electronic versions of books: they are more mobile and cost less than paper books. But in the case of creative notebooks and coloring books, friends are forced to take my side: you can’t fully enjoy coloring in electronic form.

I read a lot and often. I prefer paper books, but I often use e-books as well. I am a supporter of active reading - I emphasize interesting places, make notes in the margins, leave bookmarks. And many programs allow you to do this in an e-book.

It's actually easier to list the places where I don't read, because I read ... almost everywhere. Here I tried to remember where I read in the last week. The result was such a list: in public transport, at a music school (while I was waiting for my son from class), at the entrance to the martial arts hall (again, while I was waiting for my son), at home, in a park, at a bus stop ... Well, of course, at the workplace: Fortunately, work not only allows, but also obliges to read a lot 🙂

What are my reading secrets? Actually none. Unless I make a list of those books that I want to read (although it does not decrease with each book read, but only increases weekly).

My son and I also have two other lists - they include books read since the beginning of the year. And his list so far is one book larger than mine. A very motivating thing for both, in fact.

I read both electronic and paper books. But I like paper ones more: I am a 100% kinesthetic, and for me the feeling of holding a high-quality book in my hands, flipping through the pages, putting bookmarks is simply indescribable

Most of all, of course, I love paper books: the smell of the pages of a new book is one of the most attractive in the world. Reading paper books is somehow cozy at home. And always a pleasure. And if I have to travel, I always run into a bookstore and buy books - like birthday candy. And then I read, read and read 🙂 And, fortunately, they have not yet come up with “notifications” that pop up in the real world about new messages and letters, so nothing distracts from reading and you can safely immerse yourself in a book.

At work, in 95% of cases I read electronic books - from a laptop (more often) or a phone (less often). The undoubted advantage of e-books is that the notes that I save in Evernote or a document in Google Docs are easy and quick to take. Nothing needed will be lost.

Before working at MIF, I bought books and read paper versions in 80% of cases. Now the situation is the opposite - I read 80% only in electronic form. I have an iPad mini4, the iBooks program suits me completely. It is most convenient to work with versions of epub files, since in this case you can highlight text with a marker and add notes. I have a whole library in my iPad, without it Hermione's bag would be needed. Paper books have 100 pluses, but there is also one minus - deforestation, the lungs of our planet.

As for e-books, I'm a fan of paper books. Of course, I have an e-book, I always take it with me on the road or vacation, but only because it takes up little space. This is such a necessary measure, like instant coffee instead of freshly roasted, ground and cooked in a Turk over a fire. Some kind of compromise.

Books printed on paper are a completely different matter. Everything from the first acquaintance with the book, its unique smell of printing ink, snow-white pages that are still difficult to open completely, including the pleasure of future reading and the desire to look at the last page to see how this story ends, is like magic, like the evening before the holidays, like a first date. 😉 So I am for paper books!

I do not read e-books at all - only those books that do not come out in paper. I always wait for paper, I only buy paper. And if I read electronically, then it's banal with ipad through iBooks.

Nemtseva Irina, production manager of MIF publishing house

I like paper books more, I love the tactile feeling when you flip through, you see how much is left to read.

I love both paper and e-books! Since I mainly work with illustrated and gift editions, the paper version is ideal for them: hold them in your hands, look at photos, drawings, read in a special mood 😉 I enjoy reading text books on electronic media. Moreover, for the last year and a half - I have a baby - it’s hard to find time for reading, so I use the achievements of civilization to the fullest. I have an e-book on the kitchen table - while my son is eating, I manage to read 10 pages. While the child goes to bed (he is still small for fairy tales), I sit next to him in an armchair and read from a smartphone. The smartphone is synchronized with the computer, and when my son falls asleep, I can move to the table and continue reading from the computer. I also love summari. For parents with young children, this is just a godsend. In general, there would be a desire, you can almost always find time for reading 🙂

I prefer paper books. But more and more I read e-books. I don’t pay much attention to readers, apparently, I immediately got lucky) I use iBooks

Of course, I like paper books more, but electronic books are more convenient to read anyway. Unfortunately, I can’t give advice on readers and applications, I just read PDF from a tablet)

As for reading, I read electronically from my phone, but since it has os simbian, which Nokia no longer supports, none of the formats presented on our site are suitable for my phone. So I download, convert to another format and read. But this is only because of convenience, and I like paper books more and read them when possible.

What books do you prefer? Tell us in the comments what you like to read, what applications you use and what you can advise us and readers.

In the first two parts of the How to read books on iPhone series, we talked about the wonderful free apps iBooks and Bookmate. We will not change ourselves and tell you about another worthy free application, reading books on which is very pleasant and accessible.

Aichitalka is an application from the Russian company Aimobilko, which has proven itself in the App Store. Thousands of fans of good books have given their preference to this program for a number of objective reasons: a huge database of books, excellent text processing capabilities, an impeccable appearance of the application, and much more.

Before considering possible ways to download books to Aichitalka, let's spend a little time on the application itself. And there is something to see here. To begin with, I would like to note the magnificent design of Aichitalka, which has recently become fully adapted for iOS 7. The most beautiful thing is that for all its beauty, the application works extremely quickly and does not slow down even on older devices.

There are three main sections - My books, Score and Profile. AT Profile each new user will have to register, however, it is optional. If you do not plan to upload your books to the application and want to be content with only a free choice, for example, the application will create a temporary account for you, which you can use quite successfully.

Free books, by the way, a huge amount. All of them are classic works by Russian writers, so lovers of foreign literature will still have to think about registering with the application and then buying or downloading books.

Reading books in Aichitalka is a special pleasure. The ability to change the font, format, brightness and display style on the go will help you quickly, without unnecessary navigation through the menu, customize the application to your liking (or based on the degree of illumination). While reading a book, you can save your favorite quotes with just one click, as well as write comments on individual paragraphs of the text. In Aichitalk, a book search and an elegantly executed bookmarking system are available.

How to upload books to Aichitalka?

If you don’t have enough free books to choose from, and now it’s not possible to spend money on purchasing literature in the built-in store, then books in FB2 format can be easily downloaded into the application using the web interface - imobilco.ru.

Step 1. Register on the website imobilco.ru

Step 2. Go to your profile settings and click on the button Storage

Step 3. Click the button Download book and select a book in FB2 format

Step 5. Go to the section My books in the Aichitalka application and press Download all

Step 6. After the download is complete, you can start reading

The process, as you can see, is very simple and similar to what we saw in the second part of the How to read books on iPhone series when we reviewed Bookmate.