Audiobooks
are another way for us to take literature anywhere we want to go,
allowing us to listen to the latest bestseller while on a long drive,
devour a non-fiction piece while doing the dishes, or even listen to the
latest self-help hit or celebrity biography while doing your daily
workout. Audiobook apps can run the gamut from slick, integrated market
and player systems packed with the latest bestsellers and personalized
recommendation engines to more humble affairs that still bring you the
classics of world literature in audiobook form. Check out seven of our
favorite audiobook apps below.
Audible is a veteran powerhouse in the audiobooks field, with more
than 150,000 titles in its library and its increasing integration with
Amazon's Kindle system is reaping added benefits for its users.
Audible's audiobook player offers solid playback features, with chapter
navigation, bookmarks, a sleep mode, variable playback speed and
multitasking support for background playback and downloading. Audible
now integrates with Kindle, and Kindle users can pay a small fee to
upgrade a Kindle ebook with an Audible audiobook, and Amazon's
Whispersync allows users to switch between audiobook and text
near-seamlessly.
Audio Books by Audiobooks.com (Android, iOS) ($14.95/mo subscription)
Simply Audiobooks' cloud-based Audiobooks.com platform also offers a
solid audiobook app for Android and iOS listeners, allowing subscribers
to choose from a library of more than 45,000 audiobooks from every genre
that they can stream or download for offline listening. The Audio Books
app includes variable playback speed, automatic bookmarking, and a
sleep timer, among other features, and additionally includes
cross-device syncing, allowing listeners to easily transition from their
smartphone, tablet, or computer without losing their place in the
audiobook.
Barnes & Noble is working on establishing its own niche in the
audiobook market with its NOOK Audiobooks Android app, with a store
library of more than 50,000 titles across a variety of genres. Rather
than use a subscription model like Audible or Audiobooks.com, Nook
features an online store where users can purchase books, and then
download and listen to them through the app. It's a bit on the feature
lite side, and some users are reporting user connectivity issues, but
the app seems to have potential. As a promotional offer, Barnes &
Noble is offering two free audiobooks to users who download the app and
sign up by February 1, 2015.
Scribd has taken a different tack with its audiobook offerings,
presenting them to users as part of its on-demand, Netflix style
service. For $8.99 monthly, Scribd subscribers now have access to a
library of more than 30,000 titles in addition to the more than half a
million ebooks that they can already access with their Scribd account.
Another option to consider if your local library supports it is
OverDrive, which allows users to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from their
library's collection, with all the flexibility and convenience of a
digital app. Overdrive users can borrow titles from the library's
collection 24/7, and users can create holds, wishlists, and effortlessly
return ebooks and audiobooks. Cross-device syncing of titles and
bookmarks allow you the flexibility to listen to an audiobook on the
device of your choice.
If you're not necessarily looking for the latest bestsellers,
Librivox offers access to more than 15,000 free audiobooks of public
domain works ranging from classic bestsellers to out of print titles
that users can browse by title, author, or genre. Users can save and
listen to any number of books that they want, and can set unlimited
bookmarks as well as a sleep timer. As the work is done by volunteers,
narration quality can vary, but it's a great way to get classic works of
literature in audiobook format without breaking the bank.
Smart Audiobook Player (Android) (Free trial, $1.99)
If you're looking to listen to DRM-free audiobooks already in your
collection, Smart Audiobook Player is a popular choice for Android
devices that comes with a good selection of features, such as variable
playback speed, bookmarking, an audio equalizer, some basic collection
management features, a sleep timer, and control widgets for the
notification tray and your home screen. The app provides users with a
generous 30 day free trial before asking for a $1.99 unlock.
Audible (Android, iOS) ($14.95/mo subscription) 
