There are many people who do not like to read books, but they do enjoy a good book when somebody else is reading it to them. And that’s where audiobooks come in, they take the reading part out, and all you have to do is listen and enjoy the book. OverDrive has just released an audiobook app for Android phones and devices.
OverDrive, a company based in Cleveland, OH. and founded in 1986, is a full-service digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video. They provide download services for hundreds of publishers and thousands of libraries, schools, and retailers. They have announced the beta release of an audiobook app for Android, which enables you to wirelessly download digital audiobooks.
Here’s what David Burleigh, director of marketing for OverDrive said about their product:
Expanding and enhancing our mobile user experience will be key to consumer adoption of digital books from our library, retail, and publisher partners. While OverDrive audiobook downloads are already compatible with devices such as the iPod® and iPhone™, we are committed to providing a complete download experience on mobile devices, with audiobook apps for iPhone and BlackBerry® expected in 2010.
OverDrive’s audiobook app for Android is compatible with MP3 audiobooks from more than 10,000 libraries and major online retailers, including BarnesAndNoble.com, BooksOnBoard.com, and Borders.com. Users can navigate downloaded parts, create bookmarks, and resume from the last point played, as you can see on the image below. Audiobooks from the public library automatically expire in the app so there is never a late fee. OverDrive titles are often divided into ‘Parts’ to make downloading quick and easy, and each Part is no larger than 40MB. This means you can enjoy a title right after one ‘Part’ has finished downloading, instead of waiting for the entire book to download. If you like to read only one ‘Part’, and not the entire book, then you can simply download that desired Part.
OverDrive also operates the Digital Bookmobile, which is a high-tech 18-wheeler truck traveling North America on behalf of public libraries to raise awareness about free library downloads.
