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By David Rothman

image image Again and again we’ve suggested that software companies hedge their bets on the iPhone.

They should do e-readers, too, for the Android operating system that Google is promoting for cellphones and other devices. Why risk letting Steve Jobs control e-bookdom, especially with a large Apple tablet said to be on the way?

Since I don’t own an Android device, I have not tried Aldiko, an e-reader app for that OS (memo to self: check out emulation options).

But from afar, based on the feature set, it looks like an interesting example of the possibilities within the Jobs-proof Android world.

Over the weekend, the Aldiko blog announced that the company had added full-text search, dictionary lookup, orientation locking, an alignment option and a go-to feature. Could Aldiko end up the Stanza of  the Android world—most of the most popular apps because the ergonomics and feature-sets are right?

image image Ah, but it’s too early to say, especially without having tried Aldiko; and I’d love to hear from Android-savvy readers who believe they see better alternatives out there. While Aldiko’s Tiffany Wong is a much-valued TeleBlog contributor, I don’t want play faves—so speak up! What do you think of Aldiko and the others such as Libris (screenshot to left) and FBReaderJ (right)? Pros and cons? Specifics such as features? Meanwhile let’s remember that an Android version of eReader is on the way.

Related: Earlier Aldiko mentions.

 
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