I have been bagging on Apple and the App Store a bit this weekend, so it is only fair I take a look at a new innovation in iPhone/iPod Touch apps that I am very happy to see. One of my pet peeves about my iPod Touch is the fact that there was no quick and easy way to get files onto the device without a WiFi Connection. As my work network bars such devices, it meant I would always need to wait until I got home every evening to load up new Ebooks or work files I wanted to be able to review or read on the device.

However, Readdle has now come out with an innovation to end that problem for it’s top selling ReaddleDocs document viewer application as well as it’s new Ebook Reader app, BookReader, as well as other iPhone apps produced by the Odessa company. It’s a mysterious little trick called ReaddleWire that allows you to transfer files to the iPhone/iPod Touch via a USB connection, no WiFi required.

ReaddleWire is a free download and is very very simple. When your iPhone or iPod Touch is connected via USB to your PC (it is also available on the Mac) you simply run the ReaddleWire program on your computer. This opens a small window on your desktop. Once it informs you that your device is connected, you just drag and drop files into the window…that simple.

The files appear in either ReaddleDocs (for Word, Powerpoint or Excel files) or in Bookreader (for EPUB, HTML, or TXT files). Some files, such as PDFs, will appear in both. While ReaddleDocs cannot edit files, as a long time user I can say it is a very competent viewer and the ability to transfer files via USB make it much more useful then it would be otherwise.

As for Bookreader, I took the time to use the new member of the Readdle family a bit to takes it’s measure. Like ReaddleDocs compared to other similar apps, it is not the best Ebook Reader one can find on the iPhone, but it does the bare bones of what it needs to with a certain amount of style. The USB transfer method ensures I will keep it installed just for those cases when I want to read things I can’t wait to transfer via WiFi.

The old fashioned/steampunk style and bookcase conceit of the BookReader GUI appealed to me for about the first hour, then it began to wear. A little too much eye candy for it’s own sake. I would have preferred if it was more customizable, or if it were possible to switch to a more simple list when searching through a large library. However, it was a nice change from the pretty dry appearance of most Ebook Readers on the iPod Touch. A nice touch is the fact that  the Library screen shows you when you do not have a WiFi connection, and if you are connected to wireless, it lists the device’s IP and the port for loading books on via WiFi. Very convenient if you are loading books via WiFi.

The actually reading page is clear and easy to use. You only have three looks to choose from however, Old White, New White and Night. This was pretty limiting and really got on my nerves, as was having only two fonts and five font sizes to choose from. I prefer having much more control over the way the page and the text is presented. BookReader is certainly readable…but that is the best I can say for it.

As I said, options are quite limited both for individual books and the application overall, as you can see from the Options pages. Only three elements you can adjust which is sort of pitiful compared with other Reader apps, and even then the choice is highly limited. You can’t control the page turning animation for example, or the text color, or the page layout and justification. Bare bones is exactly what the application is despite the frou frou GUI. Eventually the posh appearance and limited functionality began to annoy me. A lack of choice as far as look and feel, reading experience and application behavior means that BookReader is not going to be replacing the far more powerful if a bit more businesslike Stanza as my Ebook Reader of Choice.

However, I think ReaddleWire is fantastic and would love a similar system to be adopted by other applications that use documents brought over from your PC and Mac. The ability to do so without futzing with WiFi or complex SSH solutions on Jailbroken devices is a great thing which would make a lot of people breathe a sigh of relief I think.

ReaddleWire is a free download via a download link after giving your email, while Readdle BookReader is 4.99 in the App Store.

DISCLAIMER: I did not receive a review copy of BookReader and have not been in contact with Readdle regarding this review.

Zealot (469 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).