Books can be read or even listened to while doing something else: on a bicycle, on a train, on an airplane or even under an umbrella by the sea, avoiding going blind on the pages of a book or on the screen of an Ebook reader. Listening to an audiobook is certainly a faster way of reading a book, certainly passive, but which can be very pleasant and comfortable. If until some time ago it was difficult to listen to the reading of a book, today, thanks to smartphones and tablets, it is a walk and any book can be enjoyed by reading . Let's see how to download audiobooks and how to listen to them on an Android smartphone or tablet, on iPhone and iPad .
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In another article we have seen the sites where you can download audiobooks in Italian in mp3 for free from the internet . these are sites such as LibriVox or LiberLiber where there are above all the great classics of Italian fiction.
Once downloaded the audio mp3 books can be transferred to the mobile phone to listen to them whenever you want with headphones.
Audiobooks app on Android
By connecting the Android phone to the PC via cable or via Airdroid, transfer the mp3 files to a folder with the name Audiobooks. For a better experience you need to copy the audiobooks in a certain way on the smartphone memory so that you can open them through an appropriate application. It is important to keep the different books in different subfolders to have more ease with the Smart AudioBook Player application, ideal for listening to them. With this application, then simply indicate the folder where the various mp3 files of the books have been copied and then choose what to listen through its convenient interface. The application shows all the details of the book, how long the entire book and the various chapters last. You can add a bookmark, there is also a sleep timer, a lock screen and an option to decide the playback speed. You can therefore pause listening without having to remember where you got there, because the app will resume the book from that point even if it was reopened after months. The application can be downloaded for free and can be used for 30 days in a full version, after which either you pay the 2 Euros for the update or you remain with a more limited version, with the basic functions that will remain available in any case.Alternatively you can use the LibriVox app, free for Android, without too many functions, but with a catalog of books to listen to directly.
A third application for reading audiobooks on Android is Voice Audiobook Player, completely free and open source, with special functions such as bookmarks, playback speed control, automatic suspension, etc.
The Audilibri app for Android is another book reader that has a catalog of free audiobooks to choose from.
Excellent is also the Libby application, for Android and iPhone with many free audiobooks.
Audiobooks app on iPhone or iPad
If you are using an iPhone or iPad you must install an application called BookMobile . To transfer audiobooks using iTunes, connect the iPhone or iPad to the computer with the cable, go to Apps in the device tab, select BookMobile and then add the files to the application from the button on the bottom right. From the file selection menu, select all the chapters of the book you want to import and synchronize all the audiobooks. From the application you can then listen to the books.To download and listen to audiobooks in Italian from iPhone or iPad, you can use the Audiobooks application, easy to navigate and use, or Books and audiobooks in Italian, a rich selection divided into categories.
Where to find Audiobooks for Android and iPhone
If you want a more modern audiobook you have to buy it, in audio version, on the big stores: iTunes for iPhone and iPad, Google Play for Android devices. You can then open the iTunes Store from your computer, go to the books section and then choose Audiobooks (from the drop-down menu at the top, where Books is written) or open the Music app on iPhone and iPad and find there the audiobooks to listen to . On Google Play there is instead a section of the store dedicated to audiobooks also accessible from the Play Books application on the phone or tablet.With an Android smartphone it is also possible to transform any Ebook into an audiobook by letting it be read by the voice of the speech synthesis engine.
Then go to Settings -> Language and input> Local synthesis output -> Google synthesis engine -> Install voice data in Italian (in reality they should already be installed). The speech synthesis engine can also be installed from the Accessibility menu always in Settings .
So if you buy or download regular books from the Google Play Store, open them with the Play Books app, tap the top left corner and open the application settings. Among the options select the item " Read automatically aloud " so that you can listen to the reading of any book you want. If you also have the possibility to keep your mobile phone or tablet connected to the internet, also select the " high quality voice " option to improve listening and hear a more human and less robotic voice.
If you are willing to spend some money there are more advanced applications and richer in audio content and books such as:
StoryTel, for Android and iPhone, with a subscription of 10 Euros per month.
- Amazon Audible, for Android and for iPhone free for a month.
- Scribd, for Android and iPhone with free trial.
- Audioteka, for Android and for iPhone, is an app where you can buy and download audiobooks.
