Freda, the free ebook reader for Windows Phone, has been updated to version 2.6, which introduces a number of new features and improvements. We previously looked at the app back in November when the developers were eagerly seeking beta testers for a previous update, so it's good to see Freda continue to receive invested time and effort to further improve the user experience.
So what's new in version two-point-six? The Turnipsoft team have worked hard to translate the UI for French, German, Swedish and Slovak users, further opening up the service for international consumers, but that's not all. Find the full changelog below:
- Improved Metro-style appearance (including a jump-list view of the 'bookshelf')
- FB2 format
- Ability to backup and restore the bookshelf using SkyDrive storage
- Better handling of CODE, PRE and DIV elements
- Advertising no longer displayed on the main front screen
- Bulk-download feature to get multiple books at once
- Low-memory mode for better performance on low-end hardware (Lumia 610, etc.)
- Password lock
- French, German, Swedish and Slovak UI localisation
- Numerous stability and performance fixes
Not a shabby update. In fact it's quite a leap forward. If you're into ebooks and haven't given this app a try, be sure to do so as it supports EPUB (DRM-free), FB2, HTML and TXT formats to keep you busy. Freda sports customisable controls that enable the user to alter fonts and colours, while inserting annotations and bookmarks, as well as the ability to look up dictionary definitions and translations.
The app can render EPUB formatting (eg. bold / italic text, margins and alignment) and can display code, images and diagrams. Book sources supported include Feedbooks, Smashwords and the Gutenberg Project catalogues. SkyDrive, DropBox or Calibre can be used to share existing book collections with the app for on-the-go reading. If that wasn't enough, Freda can also download books from websites using the built-in web browser. Favourite books can then be pinned to the home screen for more convenient access.
You can download Freda and Freda+ ($0.99 / £0.79) from the Marketplace. Difference between the two versions is advertisement removal.
