iPhone & iPod Touch Apps – Transform Your iPhone into an eBook Reader

With the recent addition of Amazon Kindle 2 ($359) and the Kindle DX ($489),  I felt it was necessary to seek some cheaper alternatives for readers on the go. The Kindles are sexy and ideal for many reasons, such as the 3G network, ability to increase the font size, the storage capacity, etc. However, few can afford the Kindle 2 or the Kindle DX.  This post will explore some of the best iPhone and iPod Touch Apps , including the free Kindle App, to provide a cheaper alternative to the Kindle. The Apps below will help you transform your iPhone into an eBook and Document Reader.

eBook Readers

Stanza (FREE) 3 Stars, 1617 Ratings.

Search the Stanza Catalog, 50,000 ebooks from Fictionwise eReader store, 50,000 free ebooks from Project Gutenberg or read ebooks from your own collection.

Kindle for iPhone (FREE) 3 Stars, 21,527 Ratings.

This App enables you to have access to over 100,000 ebooks from www.amazon.com/kindlestore and wirelessly transfer them to your iPhone or iPod Touch. For ebooks that aren’t free, you can read the entire first chapter to preview, prior to purchasing. If you own a Kindle, you can automatically transfer your already purchased books.

Bookshelf ($7.99) 3 Stars, 58 Ratings.

Access thousands of ebooks or read your own ebooks with this App. It supports ebooks in several formats, including HTML, plain-text, Palm, FB2 and many more.

BookZ (FREE) 3.5 Stars, 7 Ratings.

Ebook reader with an integrated web browser. Provides flexibility to upload thousands of your own ebook txt files from your computer.

Useful Tools (PDF, file viewers)

Good Reader (Large PDF Viewer) ($4.99) – 4.5 Stars, 20 Ratings

This PDF Reader App specializes in opening and allowing you to view very large PDF (500MB) and TXT files (50MB).  It utilizes textwrap, lets you zoom, etc. You also have the ability to view Microsoft Office files, HTML, Apple iWorks 2008, etc. It’s loaded with additional features.

uFile ($2.99) – 3.5 Stars, 25 Ratings

This App lets you carry files (up to 5MBs) in various formats, including Word, PDF, Excel, txt, png, jpg, gif, etc. You can hide private files and tag files by color coding.

Chili Printer ($2.99) – 5 Stars, 9 Ratings

App that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch as a wireless virtual printer. Print anything from your PC and view it later on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Air Sharing- Document Viewer, File Storage ($4.99) – 4 Stars, 119 Ratings.

View and store files in several different formats, including PDF, HTML, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, rich text, plain-text, and many more. Loaded with features, including pinch to zoom and password protection.

Documents 2 ($4.99) – 3 Stars, 234 Ratings

All-in-one mobile Office Suite, which includes 9 different Apps in one. iSpreadsheet, mobile harddrive, text editor, Google Sync, Photo Album, Direct e-mail to e-mail attachments, etc.

Readdle Docs ($9.99) – 3.5 Stars, 85 Ratings

Copy files directly from your PC or MAC to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Read Office documents, save e-mail attachments, save documents from the web, view files in various formats such as HTML, PDF, txt, Doc, etc.

Which document or eBook readers do you currently use? Do you have any additional recommendations for those Apps that I may have missed above?