One thing that was missing in the YotaPhone was a built-in ebook reader, which we would find fairly essential for a device that packs an e-ink display on one of its sides. The Russian company took note of that and is now offering a special version of the e-reading app called FBReader. That “special” part involves beaming the document/ebook’s contents from the main screen to the e-ink one, making for a that much better reading experience.
The mentioned application can handle a number of file formats, including Word and .rtf documents, as well as unencrypted .epub and .mobi e-book formats, while PDF support is coming in the next version (which will hopefully be released soon).
It’s not really Amazon Kindle or Google Play Books, but something like that is coming in the near future. According to Engadget, Yota Devices is “discussing potential collaboration” with Amazon in order to bring about Kindle support, though no timeline was given.
We love what Yota is doing and can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year. Meanwhile, we’ll try to get our review unit and get back to you with a full-blown review. Stay tuned…
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run Symbian Watch which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.