From Overdrive:
Our new Libby app is the easiest way to get started with digital books and audiobooks from your public library. Libby is available for Android, iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch), and Windows 10.
. . . .
Step 1
Install the Libby app from your device’s app store.
Step 2
Open Libby and find your library. You can search by library name, city, or zip code.
Step 3
Browse your library’s collection and borrow a title. When prompted, sign in with a valid library card.
Step 4
Borrowed titles appear on your Shelf and download to the app automatically when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, so you can read them when you’re offline.
From your Shelf, you can:
- Tap Open book or Open audiobook to start reading or listening to a title.
- Tap the cover image, then Send to Device to send a book to Kindle.
Link to the rest at Overdrive
PG says this looks a lot simpler than working your way through most library websites.
Is this replacing the Overdrive App?
Two phone platforms and Windows 10. Whoopee.
I like the Libby app better than I like the old Overdrive app. Easier to link my library card in and find a book. Granted, neither of my two libraries have much in the way of backlist selection(and yes, I know why that is), and i haven’t listened to any audio books. But it has this neat little thing where I can send the book to my Kindle when I check out and not sit on the app as it eats my phone from the battery out (this thing is a power sucker, that’s for sure).
Is it for everyone? No. But now I’ll actually look at my library ebooks, instead of throwing up my hands in despair.
It looks exactly like the Overdrive app that’s been out for a couple of years. I tried this for several audiobooks but found few titles available and the search function clunky.
In addition, most of the audiobooks seemed to be delivered from CD versions. I could actually hear CD scratches. In addition, the bookmarks didn’t hold about 30% of the time. The app would revert to the beginning of the section, as in the beginning of a CD. Losing a bookmark is a pain for audiobook listeners.
However, my ebook reading friends have loved it.
Not available in the Amazon appstore.
I took a closer look and I think it’s an attempt to cut Amazon out of the picture. While it’s true you can still send a book to your Kindle devices, they are trying to present it as dead simple – the no-brainer default – to just check out an epub and load it into the app. The Overdrive app has always had a serviceable epub reader built in and this app is an attempt to refocus on that.
Overdrive is good for popular overpriced BPH titles.
A LOT of apps aren’t available on the Amazon app store. I think that’s more Amazon’s problem than an individual app’s. It’s one of the big reasons the Fire Phone failed so hard.