Bookshelf 4+

I really like VitalSource as they usually offer lifetime access to ebooks for texts where publishers may have an expiration date. So far, I found all my textbooks here; it's convenient having everything in one app. Email support is also quite quick.

Highlighting could be improved, as the "height" of the highlight is not consistent. The "define" option appears to be not working as it should. Personally, I think the "view all titles" page should be the home screen.

Overall, it is pretty convenient to use on the iPad.

‘How do you legally get users to part with their money in exchange for something you’d otherwise flush down the toilet or make fertiliser with?’ Thought Mr. Corporate. ‘Aaha! I shall create the practically useless Vitalsource app and get textbook providers to lock their products with this app’. ‘Then I’ll make revolutionary changes such as pages that can be swiped to turn (which other reader apps have had since the beginning of time) and of course work really hard to stop people from trying to convert the ebooks to anything else that they can actually DO something with rather than try and understand why people are trying to convert it in the first place. Come to think of it...ingenious plan for turning students into suicidal/homicidal beings - Put a textbook they need on an island surrounded by a moat filled with giant crocodiles (or the vitalsource app. Same-same). TLDR - It’s a crappy app. Note to this app makers: take a peek at how apps like notability works. It’s doesn’t have to be a fancy note-taking app but if you have an ebook that you can’t highlight/ annotate on, then it beats the freaking purpose of having an ebook!

It’s fine for straight plain reading books, but as a student, we have to do so much more than just read books. Highlighting is annoying and clunky - please include Apple Pencil capability so we can change pages with our finger and quickly use the pencil to highlight. Writing extra notes is annoying, and after paying for a digital copy of a book, we should be able to write on the book as if it was a PDF. This app has so much potential to be my go to for textbook, but until it starts to be more intuitive to use as a student, I would honestly rather continue spending half my day looking for a lower quality, old editioned online copy of my textbook than paying $50+ for a book that I have to use this clunky system to read.