3D Bookshelf is a wonderful eBook reader from Ideal Binary that not only looks amazing, but also functions well. This first application is the classic literature collection, comprised of fifteen classic novels including Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein and others. The 3D animations are beautiful and smooth, however the app does lack some common features that users really want to see in an eBook reader.
The main screen is a beautiful bookshelf of classic novels for you to read. You can swipe left and right through the books to choose what you want. Tapping on a book will lift it out of the shelf and open it on a wooden table. You can turn the pages of the book by either tapping on the left and right arrows at the bottom of the screen or by swiping your finger across the screen. Here’s where some really great animations come into play. When you touch your finger to the page, you actually grab it, so when you swipe across, the page goes with your finger. You can actually slowly swipe and stop midway to see the page curled and ready to fall to the other side. Yes, the animations are unnecessary, but they really do add to the whole reading experience, making it as realistic as possible. You’ll also hear a page turn sound effect as you swipe.
As you are reading, you can easily navigate around the book in several ways. You can tap on the icon in the upper right corner to go back to the table of contents. You can also swipe up to reveal a slider at the bottom of the screen. This slider may be used to quickly skip to any page of the book. Swiping upward a second time exposes the real power behind this application. A second swipe will push your viewpoint back and show the book lying on the table in front of you. In this 3D view, you can zoom in or out and rotate the book in any direction. Again, this is a pretty pointless feature for an eBook reader, but it’s still fun to play with and show off to your friends, at first. When you are finished reading, you can close the book and the app will automatically place a bookmark where you left off and place the book back on the shelf.
As stated before, the app looks great and functions well. The text is clear and large enough to read easily. It automatically remembers the last page you were on and navigation is simple. However, there are many features that an avid eBook reader will definitely miss. For example, there are no options to resize text or even zoom in to the page. Some people may find the text a bit small, but will be out of luck with the app. Some other applications include tons of customization features such as font selection, text color, background color, alignment, spacing, etc. None of these options are available in 3D Bookshelf. There isn’t even an option to purchase or download other books to add to your collection. You only get fifteen classics with the promise of updates. For me, the lack of an in-app bookstore is enough for me to say no to this application.
If you are an avid lover of classic literature and really want a visually pleasing app to read them in, then this one’s for you. Otherwise, I strongly suggest checking out some other eBook readers that have much more to offer, including a store to buy more books from.
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