I have recently discovered another great source of content for my iPhone, which comes in the form of the Audiobook Player app. Coincidentally, this app has also received an update, which brings it up to version 1.1.
Anyway, the Audiobook Player app does just what the name implies, it plays audiobooks. The nice part here is that the content is available for free (courtesy of librivox.org), that is once you have purchased the app, which is selling for a pretty reasonable $0.99.
For those new to the app (like myself), Audiobook Player offers 2000 free audiobooks which can be streamed over an EDGE, 3G or Wi-Fi connection. The audiobooks can even be downloaded to your iPhone for offline listening. The app also allows the user the ability to preview books before downloading as well as the ability to download the entire book or just a single chapter.
Finally, for those of you that have already been using the app, the updated version has added the ability to browse the audiobook library by “author, genre, alphabetically, most popular, new books and more.” There is even a Recently Added section, which sounds like a nice feature for those who have been using the app for a while.
Additionally, the Audiobook Player app is being offered by Almerica (Alex Sokirynsky) who is the creator of RssPlayer which was also know as the Podcaster app.
[UPDATE] As per the questions from the comment below, now that I have had a few minutes to search around and listen to a few minutes of audio I give a little better opinion.
What kind of books are available (old, new…)?
The content is older, as per what I would expect as with public domain content. Basically, if you are looking for the newest selections than I would suggest looking at either iTunes or Audible. That said there are some great stories available in the public domain such as Robinson Crusoe and Great Expectations. It also works well when you have a younger child who likes to listen to stories, there are a few that I was able to find that will make some road trips a little more enjoyable for my 7-year-old.
How is the quality (same as audiobooks on itunes store)?
I have never personally listened to any audiobooks from iTunes, so I cannot offer a direct comparison between the two. I can however say that the first title I checked out (Robinson Crusoe) was nicely read. It streamed well over a Wi-Fi and 3G connection and downloading the title and listening offline (in Airplane Mode) also worked great. The reading was enjoyable and in my opinion the quality was more than acceptable.
[Audiobook Player (App Store link) via Just Another iPhone Blog]


June 30th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Seems interesting, to get audiobooks free (after the $0.99 as you said).
What kind of books are available (old, new…)? How is the quality (same as audiobooks on itunes store)?
Thanks
)
July 1st, 2009 at 10:38 am
Hi there,
Thanks a lot for the update.
Maybe I’ll give a try to this app then, hopefully the library will also expand.