Comments on: Txtr app lets you read Adobe-DRMed ePub on your iPhone or iPod Touch

By: Yvonne

Yvonne — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:13:37 +0000

Finally it is possible to read library books on your iOS device. This is one of the features I have been looking for for a long time. Please see the CNET link below.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20023016-233.html

I have tested it and it is actually easy to get library books onto the iphone. You can just email the .acsm file to your iphone and then say open in .. Bluefire Reader and it will download the file.

The formatting is not ideal on the iphone. It leaves too much space around the edges and I wish the page turn would be slow as a move so that I can finish the last words on a page while already seeing the next word on the upcoming page. But those are little issues that can be resolved in the future. It definitely makes the ipad and iphone the most versatile reader now.

Additionally together with txtr this is the second app that empowers international readers to purchase epub books and read them on their iOS device. txtr does not read library books though.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:13:28 +0000

Looks like Overdrive will be releasing an iPhone app this year: http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displaytext.pl?RC=14438

Note that they have partnered with Txtr in Germany. Not sure if that’s related or not.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:39:46 +0000

Works great with the university press books BiblioVault fulfills. Great app!

Very nice work, txtr! Thank you!

By: Devini

Devini — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:31:49 +0000

Txtr works perfectly, albeit it needs a few refinements, with all my ADE books (ePub & PDF).
ePub is best. Now my question is this: why the devil can’t Sony put out an iPhone app that does the same?
If Txtr can so Sony should.
It would certainly be nice when Overdrive works too.
Good going Txtr. Keep up the good work.
This development is huge for those of us with large collections.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:54:40 +0000

Big thanks for the update, Peter. I hope Txtr, OverDrive and/or Adobe can update us if that changes. Reading library books on an iPhone or iPod Touch would be awesome. David

By: Peter Sorotokin

Peter Sorotokin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:31:36 +0000

It won’t work with library books – you need to be able to fulfill directly to the device where you intend to read it and txtr does not allow you to fulfill from an arbitrary server.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:17:04 +0000

Excellent question, DE, and I’m checking with OD and Adobe. David

By: De

De — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:15:29 +0000

Will this work with Library books from Overdrive?

By: Jane Lindley

Jane Lindley — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:13:24 +0000

Joscha – thanks for the tip. I have a couple Adobe IDs and probably entered the wrong one. Trying this again…

By: Joscha

Joscha — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:57:18 +0000

The txtr App assumes that you already have the ePub.

The ACS4 (or ACSM) file does not contain the actual document, but the rights information that allows you to read it. To obtain the document that belongs to this file, you will have to ‘fulfill’ it, for instance using Adobe’s Digital Editions. (Make sure you use the same AdobeID as in the txtr App.) By activating the ACS4 file, you download an encrypted version of the document, that can in turn be read by the txtr App.

You can import your ePubs to the txtr App via txtr.com.

By: Devini

Devini — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:13:26 +0000

Can hardly wait to try it. Sony take note!!!

By: Josep

Josep — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:08:17 +0000

That is GREAT news!