Maple Lite for Audiobooks – listen to Books & MP3s
by Paul Wilks
Oct 15, 2012 8:14 AM –
Install
Maple Lite for Audiobooks is a solid audiobook reader for Android. If you love reading, but sometimes prefer to zone in on the dulcet tones of a professional reader or celebrity as they read your novel of choice, audiobooks are a great solution for the modern bibliophile.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC One X
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Really simple to use!
- Variable speed and pitch control!
Cons
- Doesn’t offer anything different or new if you have the original Maple MP3 Player.
Features:
Maple Lite for Audiobooks is essentially an additional ‘Lite’ app for the Maple MP3 Player, with more of a focus on people who like to listen to audiobooks. The app is simple to use- save audiobook files to your SD card, search for them via the Maple Lite for Audiobooks app and play in a nice user interface. To be honest, there isn’t a huge difference between this and the original Maple MP3 Player although this free version is not restricted by a trial period. If you just want a stable, useful and simple audiobooks player, this is definitely worth trying out.
One of the principal features of the application is the variable speed and pitch controls, so you can configure the sounds you hear. This is pretty nice, but I’m unsure how many people will want to change the pitch of the speakers voice other than for novelty reasons! Sure, I can perhaps understand adjusting the speed- but the pitch? Why would this be a good thing for an audiobook app? Will Kafka’s The Trial sound better when spoken in a squeaky voice?
I think the app might confuse some users and this isn’t really a good thing. It calls itself an audiobook reader, but a music album is clearly being played in the screenshots presented in the Google Play Store, so I think it’s sending out mixed messages. The fact is, the app can be used as a music player and works perfectly well as one, so why it is labelled as an audiobook app is a little mystifying as very little about the application is dedicated to audiobooks. Even in the settings there is reference to ‘album’ art rather than ‘cover’ art, which is how most audiobook albums perform the same function.
Essentially then, if you want to use the Maple audio applications, you have three choices:
- Maple MP3 Player (trial) – This is a 10 day trial of the full app, a comprehensive and user friendly music AND audiobook player.
- Maple Unlocker - The full version without trial period, it costs around $4.95
- Maple Lite for Audiobooks – featured in this review, the lesser featured than either but without trial period. Plays audiobooks and music.
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – In-story player
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – Landscape orientation
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – Change pitch
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – Playback speed settings
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – Screen orientation
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Maple Lite for Audiobooks – Settings
Usefulness:
If you want a really basic and no-frills audiobook player- and considering other options in the Google Play Store can be quite expensive, this isn’t an uncommon demand- Maple Lite for Audiobooks is worth a try. It doesn’t offer much really in the way of features but it does what it says on the tin.
Ease of Use:
Once you’ve found the file you want to play, the app is very easy to use and is intuitive.
Frequently Used:
This depends very much on the user and how often they like to listen to audiobooks. If you use them a lot, the lack of options here may cause you to look elsewhere. While the full Maple MP3 Player is an option, it’s worth shopping around for.
Interface:
The interface is responsive, user-friendly and works well. There are audio apps out there with far more flamboyance and better-looking UI, but this works perfectly fine if you want something simple.
AndroidTapp.com Rating
(3.4 out of 5)
Should you Download Maple for Audiobooks? If you need a basic and free player to listen to an audiobook or two, this is a great option. If you’re serious about audiobooks, you will find some far better apps in the Google Play Store. There is, to be honest, very little about the app that is something dedicated to audiobook usage but it still works perfectly well. If you’re looking for a new, long term solution however, I’d prefer to recommend the Maple MP3 Player Trial version. While restricted to 10 days usage, it has far more features. Then, if you like it, go for the full version. Maple for Audiobooks is a neat little app, but I’m unsure of its purpose alongside its fellow Maple apps.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Audiobooks,
Maple Lite for Audiobooks,
Maple MP3 Player,
MP3,
MP3 Music Player,
MP3 Player,
Trial
Categorised in: Media & Video, Multimedia, Music
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