Android Candy: Oyster—Netflix for Books!

For avid readers who can't find the time to visit their local library or struggle to carry giant tomes of awesomeness around with them, eBooks have become a convenient way to consume books. Whether it's on a Kindle, a Nook or in an app on your phone, eBooks are the ultimate in portability. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to find the book you want in a format you can read. Enter Oyster.

Netflix has taken movie streaming to the point where it's more common to stream a movie than it is to rent a DVD. Heck, many of us have abandoned all television entertainment options except Netflix. Oyster is an app designed to do the same for books. For $9.95 a month, you get access to more than a half-million books and enjoy unlimited reading on your Android-powered device.

The app features cross-device (and cross-platform) location sync, off-line reading and a 30-day free trial with unlimited book reading. Like Netflix, Oyster does use DRM on its titles. Because the books aren't ever owned by me, I personally don't have a moral dilemma with DRM in this case, but for some it will be a showstopper. Nevertheless, due to its wide selection, awesome idea and cross-platform availability, Oyster takes this month's Editors' Choice award!

Shawn is Associate Editor here at Linux Journal, and has been around Linux since the beginning. He has a passion for open source, and he loves to teach. He also drinks too much coffee, which often shows in his writing.

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