App Review: Google Play Books

Woo-hooo! this is an all new experience! I'm actually writing a review on an app! A mobile app, people! First time ever. I'll try my best.

Okay, so this time I'm reviewing one android-platform app that I've been waiting for so long to be available in Asia, Google Play Books. Yes, it's an app to browse, buy, and read books in your mobile devices. Oh how convenient. 

Before Google Play Books, I'm in a perfectly good term with iBooks, Apple's very own app for reading and purchasing e-books. It got all the features you possibly need and want from a book app, and a built-in dictionary with wide-range of vocabularies. Among all the other similar apps on Play Store or App Store, nothing comes nearly as good as iBooks. 

The first time I got my hand on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Premium Suites, I searched for a proper app to satisfy the book-worm inside of me, wishing that Google itself has built an app of its own for reading book. But I was very very disappointed to learn that no such app exist. So I have to put up with alternative apps, and chose Aldiko, which is a very normal app but somehow is not quite right (it has no built in dictionary, no choice for highlights, and no special turning pages effect. It just falls flat.). Then I deleted Aldiko, and downloaded Moon+ Reader. It's slightly better, though also doesn't possess a built-in dictionary. You have to download another dictionary app that support Moon+, and it actually makes you jump from your current reading to open the dictionary app. It's time consuming and highly impractical. 

Desperate for a good reading app, i turn my back to the almighty Google and found that Google did have an app of its own, called Google Play Books. I jumped of my seat and started searching for it on Play Store, with no result. Later I found out that the app wasn't available yet in my country. Shut up! It can't be! Please tell me it's not true! #truestory #itwasasadmoment

My suffering, however, didn't last long. Today I found a miracle. Purchasing books is now possible to be done within the Play Store. Lightbulb!!!! I knew right away that this meant something. Google Play Books has arrived. And so it is. 

Only one question remains: does it raise to the occasion? Is it actually as good as iBooks? Well, in my opinion, it's good enough. It has the options to highlight words and mark pages, it also has a built-in dictionary, just like iBooks. The interface is rather plain, and it turns out that you can't upload a document right from your device. The only option available to read a book is to purchase it from Play Store. Or is it? Relax people. There is a way. A slightly more problematic way, which decrease my points for this app.

Rather plain interface, if compared with iBooks with its wooden bookshelf

To upload your own documents, you need to sign in to Google Books (books.google.com) from your browser, and upload them from there. It has to be done from your internet browser, and no where else. It cannot be done from inside the app. After you have uploaded your desired documents or books, then you can open the Google Play Books app, and refresh your library. Your books should appear now. Can you start reading immediately? Unfortunately no. The app requires you to (again) download the book you've picked, before you can actually read. It means that you will always need an active internet connection to read the books in your library. If you wish to read them offline, even when you don't have a mobile data connection, you need to pin the book and it will show you an option to fully download (it makes me wonder, the download we did before, what was it for, again? Google, you kinda lost me there) the book, for then it's actually saved in your device and is available for offline reading. It's not exactly what I expected from an app. Unlike Google Play Books, Moon+ Reader is more user friendly. This app can detect automatically the files in your devices that can be accessed with the app (.pdf, .epub, etc), and voila! It appears in your book shelf and you can read it anytime without further pointless download.

3D effect on turning pages

In spite of all those miseries they put you in to read one book, I still find Google Play Books a better app to read e-books than any other similar apps available in Play Store. First of all, it's free, and free of ads! You will find no pop-up ads every time you start or quit the app. Furthermore, it also has a 3D turning-pages effect, so it gives you a quite realistic experience of reading printed books. Though the animation isn't as smooth as it is in iBooks, it's decent enough for me. It also gives you options to customize the screen brightness, the font size, the alignment, and all the basic needs in a book app. 

I can now finally uninstall my other book app, Moon+ Reader, and solely depending on Google Play Books. I'm willing to go over multiple steps to enjoy my book, but it worths the reading experience I got in the end. Well done, Google. I'm looking forward to the future updates, and someday I wish they make it possible to add a book directly from our device. 

This app is now available on Play Store and App Store.