EPUB (short for electronic publication) is a free and open e-book standard by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). Since more and more eBook readers, say Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, etc. have been released, eBook becomes more and more popular than paper. People spend much more time, energy and money on eBook reading with hardware devices than paper. Among these various eBook formats, EPUB, the open e-book standard, is widely accepted by most of the hardware and Operation System.
There are many online or desktop tools as well as apps for mobile devices in the market allowing users to read .EPUB eBook. However, some questions still bother people, such as how to read EPUB file or which EPUB Reader is the best? To help people learn more about EPUB reader, this article introduces7 popular EPUB readers which we believe you should know about.
Calibre – It is an eBook management tools including the built-in EPUB reader, it can also convert a number of eBook format to a number of other formats.
iBooks – It is a built-in free app on iPad. ‘A novel way to read and buy books’ like the tagline says. With the 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen and high revolution, reading on iPad is really a nice experience. And you can flip the pages like a book, and grow your own eBook library and find thousands of books from iBookstore. The clear, bookshelf-like interface makes iBook easy to use. iBooks is fully compatible with EPUB format, so you can add EPUB files to iBook effortlessly!
Stanza – It is a free application for your iPhone 4S and iPod Touch, I believe every iPhone owner has this app installed on the iPhone. It is fast and simple. And it can export book as different formats for different devices, like Amazon Kindle, Mobile Phone, PalmDoc, just to name a few. You can also easily organize your library, browse online catalog, and even customize your font’s size, colors.
Mobipocket – Totally free eBook reader to read on Smartphones. It could help you manage your eBooks easily. Because it supports many eBook format, so you can import PDF files, EPUB or any ot several EPUB, PDF and some other eBook formats easily. It has an option to zoom in and out. What’s more, there is a search bar on the interface for you to search for related eBooks. Besides, mobipocket provides users a large eBook library to browse and purchase eBook online.
Bookworm – It is an online EPUB Reader. All you need is registering an account, uploading a EPUB file and then reading. Reading EPUB on Bookworm is just like browsing webpage. You can upload the files online, build yourself an online library, and enjoy reading anywhere on any devices.
EPUBReader – It is a Firefox add-on. It is pretty simple to read EPUB files with the EPUBReaser. Just open EPUB files, including your local EPUB files directly with Firefox browser. The little plug-in is quite smart.
Adobe Digital Editions – It is eBook reader software from Adobe Systems, looks like Adobe Reader. The interface is quite easy. With it, viewing EPUB is not a problem at all. It supports both PDF and EPUB format.
Which one is the best depend on your purpose and the devices you are using. If you have the iPad, there is no doubt that iBooks is the best, as well as Stanza for iPhone and iPad, Mobipocket for smartphone. And you can also convert PDF files to EPUB; just enjoy the paperless reading experience.
