Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
6 audiobook classics for under a dollar
One thing the iPhone has done is give a boost to audiobooks. They are a great way to pass the time while driving, sitting in an airport, or taking a long commute.Audio Classics [App Store] is a US$0.99 app that contains 6 public domain books professionally read by a narrator. The app runs on both the iPhone and the iPod touch. The books include:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(the original story that inspired the recent movie)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Time Machine
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Aesop's Fables (141 of them)
A Christmas Carol
The books include illustrations that pop up in context with what is being read. You can also have the phone vibrate when an image is coming up so you don't miss it. The app supports unlimited bookmarks, and an easy return to them. Navigating between chapters and books is simple.
Of course, these books are available in e-readers for free, but the presentation is nice, and you get them read to you. I think the illustrations are fine, but most people listen to these books and don't really want to watch the phone. Otherwise they could get the text-only versions of these books. When there is no illustration on screen, there is a level meter, which is nice but serves no real purpose.
Because of the high quality audio files, this app requires 700 MB of space to install, and after the app is on your device it needs only 350 MB to run. I wouldn't recommend downloading this app over 3G, or even WIFI. Just do an install through iTunes.
I think this is a well done app, and you're getting 6 audio books for less than US$0.20 apiece. Not bad, and a lot of entertainment value if you like the books that are included. When you're done listening to them all, be sure to delete the app and get all that precious space back.
Here are some screen shots:
Gallery: Audio Classics
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maxwell Ash said 4:06PM on 6-01-2009
Pretty sure you couldn't download it over 3G anyway. I was under the impression that downloads over 10MB had to be over WiFi?
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kf9z said 4:18PM on 6-01-2009
How does it work in the math world that $.20 for six book is only $.99USD?
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kf9z said 4:24PM on 6-01-2009
I was wrong - as Mel pointed out. There was a less-than before the $.20 - so my apologies to all - I guess my wife and kids ARE right - I am not very bright!
D
ldhawksmail said 7:26PM on 6-01-2009
The much-touted Benjamin Button "book" is actually just a short story ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?) -- about 20 minutes to read. Not that it's any less a value, but certainly there's more worthy Fitzgerald to be read.
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alansky said 9:37PM on 6-01-2009
Audio books are a great way to pass the time while driving??? You meant while riding in a car, I assume. No one should ever attempt to use an iPhone for anything but making phone calls while operating a moving vehicle.
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Maxwell Ash said 10:19AM on 6-02-2009
Anything but making phone calls? I think that audiobooks are probably a lot less distracting than making a phone call. Even if you are using hands-free. I read the other day that using the phone while driving is actually a lot more dangerous than drink driving.
airmanchairman said 12:33AM on 6-02-2009
I'm pretty sure that Stanza, Classics, Eucalyptus and the other e-Reader apps on the iPhone/iTouch will leverage the up & coming micro-payments functionality of firmware version 3.0 to add narration capabilities to their respective apps as an upgrade option.
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