// May 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Apps, Reviews, Technology
From the first time I saw the Marvel app for iPad reviewed, I knew that reading comic books had never looked better or more intuitive on an electronic device. Reading on the iPhone screen is similar, but certainly too small. Reading on my laptop seemed to work well, but it was definitely uncomfortable trying to hold my laptop open like a book. Enter: the iPad.
The large and vibrant screen showcases the colours of the comic books beautifully, making it the perfect medium for this purpose. Reading with the Marvel app is simple and elegant – I love it. But it does have its drawbacks. I have a number of comic books in CBR and CBZ formats on my computer, from old classics to independent fan-created graphic novels, all of which could surely benefit from such a fantastic reading environment. I couldn’t do it with the Marvel or IDW (similar) applications because they are limited to purchases in their own in-app stores. So I went on the hunt. I found a free app called CloudReader and began using that, and while its reading experience is well done, the file/comic book navigation and cataloging is terrible. It’s a simple list with no covers, no title parsing, and no folders – not very useful if you have a number of comic books you wish to read and keep on the device. And thus, my search continued.
I looked for reviews and eventually came upon a Gizmodo review comparing Comic Zeal for iPad ($7.99) and Comic Reader Mobi ($15). Not only is Comic Reader Mobi more money than I’m willing to spend on a comic book reader, but their entire website is done in Flash. How clueless can you get?
I visited the Comic Zeal website and found a beautifully designed site that showcased their iPhone version of the app wonderfully. This must be it, I thought, who could make such a nicely designed site and iPhone app and fall short on the iPad version, probably the best physical device made for their market? And so I went to the iTunes app store and paid for and downloaded the latest release at the time – version 4.0.5.
Note: the review is now updated to reflect some great new changes in v4.0.13
(more…)
I’m extremely happy that Steam has come to the Mac. I’ve been playing Counterstrike Source along with a tiny bit of Portal and am anxiously awaiting the release of Left4Dead and Left4Dead 2 on the Mac so I can start playing with some friends who only have or seem to like those games.
