E-book stores tend to have their apps on multiple platforms: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. But the discerning e-book reader wants more features than those apps usually provide, so we start looking for third-party apps. And then we run into an issue. Think about some of the better-regarded e-reading apps. Many of them are only on one platform. Marvin is only on iOS. Moon+ Reader, Mantano and Aldiko are only on Android. (Also, what's with the letter "M" and e-reading apps?) It's almost enough to make you want to buy multiple tablets. Oh wait, I do own multiple tablets... I was curious, so...

Regardless of the fact that I've been covering the digital publishing beat for the past six months or so, my journalism career actually has its origins in the decidedly low-tech world of DIY independent publishing. (I got my start, believe it or not, by reviewing records for a New York City-area punk-rock fanzine when I was still in high school. Thanks Jim!) So I was quite naturally excited when I opened an email the other day from one Greg Albers, the publisher of Hol Art Books, a small press dedicated to the visual arts and digital publishing. Albers was reaching out to bring me...

Last week, Joanna wrote about giving up on the iBooks app. It generated quite a number of comments, but one in particular, from reader Michael W. Perry, caught my eye. He said: "One final note. You’re starting to discover an issue that ebook retailers have been averting their eyes from. In the near future, ebook buyers are going to become upset when they realize that ebooks have a major headache, they’re scattered across two or more apps and most people have trouble remembering which book is where. Settling on one app is a poor answer. That app may not have the features...

I recently wrote an article for GadgeTell about a new site, Applause, that ranks iOS and Android apps. I thought it would be fun to run various e-book reading apps through the site, and see how they rated. Here's the list, organized from high to low: • FBReader: 84 • Moon+ Reader Pro: 81 • Moon+ Reader: 74 • Stanza: 69 • Nook for Android: 64 • Kobo for iOS: 63 • Nook for iOS: 57 • EBook Reader for iOS: 57 • Aldiko: 56 • Aldiko Pro: 54 • iBooks: 46 • Kindle for iOS: 43 • Ebook Reader for Android: 42 • Kindle for Android: 41 Well, they agreed with my assessment of...