Best ereading application (app)

[Vince W]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite which is great, but at work I'm at my computer a lot and sometimes I want to read a few pages while taking a break or lunch or such.

I have to use Windows 8 and I hate the Kindle app for reading. I can't stand the way it takes the whole screen. Calibre is really great, but it's a little overkill for what I want. Are there any better e-reading programs out there that you can think of?

Cheers.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

It doesn't take the whole screen!
You are holding it wrong!
Perhaps you have a Metro version instead of Desktop version?

I find the Kindle Reader App best, and resizeable window, and better than Foxit or Adobe for PDFs. Only on my Android phone and Tablet it's full screen.

I have the original Mobi reader, but of course it doesn't work with DRM content.
There is no single good reader that does all formats.
Unless you use a tool to remove DRM, then any ePub or .azw need an appropriate reader.
(Note Amazon will supply eBooks without DRM if the Author/Publisher specifies it).
Smashwords supply DRM free kindle (mobi) and ePub version

 

[The Bluestocking]

I read on my Samsung tablet so I use Google Play Books which opens epub and pdf format books.

So far, so good - does what it says on the tin.

 

[SilentRoamer]

I was going to recommend Calibre - just tweak it how you want it.

How I hate DRM - its such an ugly, clunky, non solution.

 

[Vince W]

It doesn't take the whole screen!
You are holding it wrong!
Perhaps you have a Metro version instead of Desktop version?

One of the reasons I hate Windows 8. Bloody Metro. I'm going to get the desktop version now. Cheers.

 

[Editorinchic]

Get a kindle! Are you writing a book? I've recently discovered Edition Guard - an online service that protects your eBooks too. Quite handy. Let me know what you think, too

 

[Editorinchic]

I was going to recommend Calibre - just tweak it how you want it.

How I hate DRM - its such an ugly, clunky, non solution.

Hi! Isn't the DRM technology supposed to make our ebook's lives easier?

 

[Brian G Turner]

Hi! Isn't the DRM technology supposed to make our ebook's lives easier?

Goodness, no - it's a way for paranoid executives with no understanding of the internet to try and protect their interests. It took the music business over 10 years to see that DRM was harmful and unnecessary - but it seems the lesson has not been learned by publishers.

 

[Venusian Broon]

To narrow down the question a little, but to remain firmly OT.

What is the best free e-reader application for a Windows 8.1 desktop environment. Or all all e-readers much the same? It's just for reading at the mo' not for anything else.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Use Application version of Kindle eReader (NOT the Modern App / Metro style tablet version). It will work better with PDF than Adobe or Foxit.
Use Calibre* to convert ePub to .mobi / .prc A separate plug-in is supposed to remove evil Adobe Digital Editions DRM if it's that flavour of ePub, but I haven't tested that. I've only converted non-DRM ePub to mobi format. The Kindle reader needs an Amazon account once at at install time to activate it.
I'd be curious as to if the last mobi pocket reader works on x86-64 Win8.1 I can PM you a link to it. I saved it from Mobi's site just before Amazon removed it (They bought Mobi and based Kindle Reader on it). It was always free.

Mobi pocket reader works fine in "Wine" on Linux Mint 17.2 (mate desktop) and XP. It's definitely free.

(*Calibre also installs a separate ebook.exe but no link on desktop, it's Calibre's ebook reader application, so create a link to it rather than running Calibre, the full fat library / device / format manager)

 

[Vertigo]

To be honest I think pretty much all ereader apps are free. Adobe Digital Editions was free as are any of the Kindle apps (for pc ipad etc.). Calibre is also free and does a lot more than provide an ereader app, though that is perfectly good. I actually still sometimes use the Microsoft reader app on my older machines.

Re Calibre and DRM I'm afraid the first thing I do with every book I get is load it into Calibre, remove the DRM and future proof myself by saving DRM free ePub and Mobi versions. So it really doesn't matter if I change my reader in the future.

Incidentally I use Calibre to organise all my ebooks (a lot of them), tag them and add my reviews. And by storing all my books locally on my own devices they are included in my normal back up regime and I'm never going to lose them even if any of the vendors go bust. As one has; Books on Board whom I got a quite a lot of books from went under a year or so back and so the archive of the books I bought from them is no longer available to me. I think it's crazy that so many people rely only on the vendor to hold the archive of their book purchases.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I think it's crazy that so many people rely only on the vendor to hold the archive of their book purchases.

Absolutely!
Also all the other points.

I'd not bother with CleanReader though

 

[Editorinchic]

Use Application version of Kindle eReader (NOT the Modern App / Metro style tablet version). It will work better with PDF than Adobe or Foxit.
Use Calibre* to convert ePub to .mobi / .prc A separate plug-in is supposed to remove evil Adobe Digital Editions DRM if it's that flavour of ePub, but I haven't tested that. I've only converted non-DRM ePub to mobi format. The Kindle reader needs an Amazon account once at at install time to activate it.
I'd be curious as to if the last mobi pocket reader works on x86-64 Win8.1 I can PM you a link to it. I saved it from Mobi's site just before Amazon removed it (They bought Mobi and based Kindle Reader on it). It was always free.

Mobi pocket reader works fine in "Wine" on Linux Mint 17.2 (mate desktop) and XP. It's definitely free.

(*Calibre also installs a separate ebook.exe but no link on desktop, it's Calibre's ebook reader application, so create a link to it rather than running Calibre, the full fat library / device / format manager)

Thanks for the recos! Will certainly look into them.