Top 100 book apps - Weird But True by National Geographic Society

Since we believe in the digital future of books as a way to reduce eventually the footprint of books, we also believe in apps. Book apps are integral part of the digital age of books and we want to share with you some great book apps we find and thus we are assembling a list of the top 100 book apps.

In order to get into our list apps need to both book/ebook related and affordable - we choose only apps that are either free or cost less than $2.

So every Monday we will update you with a new app on out list of top book apps. Today we're happy to introduce you the first iPad book app to redefine the experience of reading 19th century poetry. Our app today is Weird But True by National Geographic Society. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it costs $1.99.

Here are more details about the Weird But True app:
The first offering from digital book studio, Honeybee Labs, "Chasing Fireflies" is an interactive poetry experience, featuring over 150 classic Japanese haiku, complemented by elegant collage-style artwork and a cinematic original score. Readers can interact with the backgrounds, calling lightning in a storm, or conjuring fireflies at night. Readers can also share their favorite passages with friends via Facebook or Twitter.

Features:
* Over 150 hand-selected haiku poems by Basho, Buson, Kikaku, Issa and others
* Cinematic original score by composer Colin Wambsgans
* Book’s cover changes through time to display a new landscape each week
* Every page can be rotated to give four different perspectives
* Easily post your favorite passages to Twitter and Facebook
* Foreward by Caley Vickerman, founder of the Guerrilla Haiku movement

Last week's book app - Chasing Fireflies: A Haiku Collection

You can check top 100 book apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 book apps.

You're also welcome to check our list of 100 green apps.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Where print books still beat ebooks?

Apparently at the public library. Washington Post reported on Saturday on the growing lines (e-lines?) for ebooks in libraries, where the supply is far from meeting the demand.

"Want to take out the new John Grisham? Get in line. As of Friday morning, 288 people were ahead of you in the Fairfax County Public Library system, waiting for one of 43 copies. You’d be the 268th person waiting for “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” with 47 copies. And the Steve Jobs biography? Forget it. The publisher, Simon & Schuster, doesn’t make any of its digital titles available to libraries."

Another problem is that publishers still don't make many books available to libraries. Why? The article explains that "wary of piracy and the devastation it has caused the music and film industries, Penguin recently put its new e-book titles off-limits. Like Simon & Schuster, Macmillan doesn’t make its e-book content available to libraries. And last year, HarperCollins announced that it would require libraries to renew licenses for e-books after 26 checkouts, outraging some librarians."

I guess this balance of power will change eventually, but at least for now, the print book is still the king of the public library!

To read more of this interesting article, click here -As demand for e-books soars, libraries struggle to stock their virtual shelves.

To read more news and updates on ebook lending please visit our ebook lending webpage.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!