The Rockstand app lets you annotate text, as well as flip pages, just like in a book. It also remembers page numbers, just like other eBook readers. There is also a night mode — helpful if you're reading in the dark
The ever-increasing size of smartphone screens has made some people very happy. No, they aren't jumping with joy at the prospect of watching the latest Bollywood blockbuster on their phone, or playing the nth avatar of Angry Birds.
These people would rather use the big screen to read a book. Yes, we're talking of that dying breed called bibliophiles, who have often had to deal with snide remarks such as "bookworm".
India's very own Handygo Technologies has come up with the Rockstand app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. While this app has the regular dose of free eBooks and the bookshelf function (where one's library is displayed), what sets it apart is the regional content on offer. One can choose from broad categories like fiction, non-fiction, children and free eBooks.
One of the first things I did after downloading this app was getting hold of my favourite Chacha Chaudhary and Pinki comics. In fact, thanks to a tie-up with Diamond Comics, you can follow all their lovable characters on your phone or tablet.
Without wasting much time I got down to the business of getting hold of an issue of Pinki. Using my debit card, I paid Rs 19 for the issue. One can also use a credit card to make the payment. Soon, the developers assured of the option to pay for the ebook from my phone's balance (or bill). This is a godsend in case one didn't want to put one's banking details on the phone or tablet.
When I was at the Comic Con in Delhi earlier his year, I had picked up a copy of Pinki and thought about subscribing to the comic series. But, after my wife and myself ended up debating who would get to read the comic first, I decided to give the idea a miss. There was no doubt about who would read THIS comic first!
Well, here I was reading my favourite comic from childhood, on my way to office. And I was thankful that I was reading it on a tablet. While one can always read ebooks on the phone, the larger screen does make a lot of difference when one is reading a comic or magazine.
I loved the fact that I could bookmark till where I had read the comic (my office is a short drive away) and could finish it on my way back home. Of course, my old comic was a whole lot lighter, but then I could actually carry a full library on the tablet.
Did I tell you that one can also download magazines as well? Most popular magazines from India are available for download (and not just in English) and I plan to use that feature when I'm travelling. And one can zoom into a magazine's pages just so one can read the fine print.
Rockstand lets one annotate the text, as well as flip the pages, just like in a book. It also remembers page numbers, just like other eBook readers. This also has a night mode — helpful if you're reading in the dark.
The app loses out on two aspects, changing the size of fonts and a text to speech function. But the company assured us that these would be addressed in the next version.
Just for Christmas, Rockstand is offering some books at just Rs 99. Titles include Bean Bummers by Agnes and Salem de Bezenac, The Magic Word and Santas Birthday Gift by Sherrill S. Cannon, and Saira by Vaneeta Vaid. But one needs to buy these before the 26th.
Rockstand, as of now, has many ebook titles in the regional space as of now, and some writing in English, but one expects its repertoire will expand over time. But then again, I have to thank this ebook reader for making my childhood comics available in digital format. Got to rush now or my wife will beat me to the tablet and read Chacha Chaudhary's latest adventures before me.
