by Ben Martin

Created on: July 26, 2010

Apple's iPad, amongst other more 'highlight' features such as video and games, also serves as an excellent e-reader for newspapers, magazines, and last but by no means least, books.

Budding readers have several options for filling their digital libraries, and whilst variety is the spice of life, it is worth taking time to choose the best option for your needs. Both of the applications mentioned below have their own strengths and weaknesses, but offer a great experience overall that should satisfy iPad users, whichever option they choose.

iBooks is Apple's official application for reading on the iPad, but also serves as an access point to their own online bookstore. It is a typically slick and nicely designed app as you'd expect from Apple, but it is worth noting that books tend to be slightly more expensive from Apple's store than they do on the Kindle store from Amazon (see below). One major plus point is that all book browsing and purchasing is done from within the app, making for a very nice ‘bookshop’ experience when finding a good read.

In terms of functionality, users can turn the page by swiping a finger in the appropriate direction, and are greeted with a satisfying ‘page turn’ animation which helps add to the immersion into the reading experience (although it can be turned off should you desire). Aside from basic reading, users have the option to change fonts and font sizes, as well as alter the background and text colours to suit their preferences. This application can also read PDFs and some other ebook formats, meaning you are not tied down to purchases from Apple's store.

If you have previously owned a Kindle, or simply prefer the cheaper prices and slightly larger library offered by Amazon, you can make full use of the Kindle app, which features the excellent Whispersync technology that synchronises purchases and even your bookmarks etc between any Kindle device or application you use. Kindle also allows you to customise your reading and viewing preferences. In terms of purchasing books, Kindle is not quite so slick as the iBooks application, requiring you to visit the Kindle store using Safari, rather than directly through the application, although the benefit is that you can browse and buy books from any computer and they will be downloaded to your iPad the next time you load the app.

Both of these applications are free, and whilst the majority of books must be paid for, both offer you the opportunity to download a sample chapter before buying, and both feature a range of free public domain libraries including older classics, guaranteeing you a good read even when finances are stretched.

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