Reader for iOS is a pretty standard ereading app. I’ve used the Kindle app, the Nook app, and the iBooks app, and honestly, I have no preference. Logging into my Sony account made my previous purchases appear; I only downloaded a few to the app for now, just to try it out.
Reader is nicely done. The bookmarking/note system is good–it doesn’t really distinguish between the two, and highlights appear in the same list. Very convenient.
Like their physical ereaders, it provides actual page numbers that (I believe) correspond to the print book, rather than an x% read bar. Page turns are fast. They provide a large assortment of color themes–though most of them are lower contrast than I would like. Happily, both font color and background color are adjustable, so now I’m reading in sharp black on light gray.
And in a SANS SERIF font as God intended.
Adding non-purchased books to the app requires a drag and drop into iTunes, which is actually much easier than adding them to the physical reader.
I do like my physical Sony reader, a PRS-600. It was definitely the right purchase for me at the time (I considered an iPad then, but wanted the longer battery life). It’s significantly lighter than the iPad, which I can’t hold for long in one hand. And having something that I can only read on is relaxing.
But I’ve been doing most of my reading on the iPad for a long time. Since I use it for so many other things, it’s simpler to switch to a book app than pick up a new device (the physical Sony has a longish load time, esp. if I haven’t used it in a while). It’s also much easier to put books into iBooks than onto the Sony, which is old enough that it doesn’t have wifi. The touch screen is more sensitive, making highlighting faster and more accurate.
So I’m happy to have a Sony Reader app. I have quite a few books in it that I’ve purchased and not read; maybe having the app will move them up my to read list. On the other hand, trying out the app made me dig out the physical reader again, and I might just stick with that.