TECH/APPS SPECIAL...Apps to help read offline

Apps to help read offline 

If you are missing out on your daily reading because of paucity of time or connectivity issues, try these apps that let you access and save online content.

    Living in the information age has its advantages. You have access to loads of data at any given time, virtually everywhere. However, despite the exponential increase in the type of information, the time available to pore through it has remained the same, even shrunk. How many times have you come across an interesting, if a rather long, online article and made a mental note to return to it later, only to forget about it? Perhaps you couldn’t recall its location (Web URLs are notoriously hard to remember), or were simply enamoured by another link. It’s also likely that you don’t have time to scan the multiple news sites, or worse, don’t have access to the Internet while travelling. All of this inevitably results in you not being able to catch up on your reading, sometimes missing out on critical information and news that could have a bearing on your finances.
    Fortunately, a lot of applications have been launched for tablets and mobile phones, which can help you save entire articles for reading at a convenient time. In some cases, the apps select and serve what they think you would like to read, allowing you to scan it at one go when you have time, without the hassle of remembering URLs or going online. Often referred to as ‘offline readers’, these apps download articles you select (or which they recommend, depending on your reading profile) in the background whenever you have an Internet connection running, and then provide access to them when you have the time. Here are some that can help boost your reading habit.
Instapaper
For those who like to bookmark pages, but do not have the time to return to them, this is the perfect app. It lets you save Web pages for reading at a later time and does so in a clean, reader-friendly format, which means you don’t have ads and flashing banners that usually clutter your online reading experience. No, it’s not free but is worth paying for, especially if you are the forgetful sort, who end up with a fuddled bookmark bar.
Available at: iTunes App Store, Google Play Price: $3.99( 210 for iOS); $2.99( 155 for Android)
Pocket
Known to many by its previous name, Read It Later, the newly titled Pocket not only lets you save articles for reading later, but also videos. Similar to Instapaper, it saves articles without the attendant clutter found on websites. All you need to do is select what you want the app to save and then return and read or view it when you have the time. You also won’t need Internet connectivity.
Available at:iTunes App Store, Google Play Price:Free
Readlists
What if you could convert all the articles that you wanted to read into an e-book that you could carry with you and read on any device you wanted, be it a Kindle, an iPad or a run-of-the-mill handset? Readlists lets you do that. You will have to go through the fuss of cutting and pasting the URLs you want converted into book form, but once you have done this, you get a handy e-tome that you can read whenever you wish.
Available at: readlists.com Price:Free
Flipboard
This app is best known for its ability to convert RSS feeds into a magazine-like form, but what many people don’t know is that it also has the option of downloading content for offline reading. Activate the app, and the next time you want to catch up with your reading, open Flipboard and pore through the content without going online. The best bit is that you can pick and choose the sites you want to follow.
Available at: iTunes App Store, Google Play Price:Free
Early Edition 2
You may wince at its price tag, but when it comes to catching up with news on your iPad, few apps can match Early Edition 2. The app pulls news items from a variety of sources and converts these into a readable newspaper-like format. You can choose the subjects and topics you want to follow and the app downloads the best news items under each head when you are online. You can then read the articles whenever you want.
Available at: iTunes App Store Price:$4.99 ( 260)
Longform
If you want someone to cherry-pick the most relevant news for you and download it on to your device at one go, Longform is the app for you. It selects what it considers the most important news items and then delivers these in a clean, no-ad format for you to read. The catch is that it comes with a price tag and has so far access to a very limited number of publications.
Available at: iTunes App Store Price: $ 1.99 ( 105)
Press Reader
For a subscription fee, this app provides access to more than 2,000 newspapers in digital format on your device. In fact, you can download a complete newspaper, with ads and other content, and read it when you have time. The best part? It works on every platform, from iOS and Android to BlackBerry and Windows.
Available at: pressreader.com Cost:$ 0.99( 50) per issue, $ 29.95( 1,560) per month

Wi-Fi or 3G     gadget?
Always being connected through a 3G mobile network may be important to some people, but gadgets with this facility are also more expensive than their Wi-Fi counterparts. In fact, the latter have exactly the same features that are available in their 3G avatars, yet will be cheaper by 2,500 or more. If you don’t need to access the Net frequently and are comfortable using the apps to do most of your reading offline, save money by buying the Wi-Fi variant.

Here’s a look at some such devices.
Apple iPad (new) 3G: 38,900 Wi-Fi: 30,500 onwards
Kindle Touch 3G: 13,700 Wi-Fi: 10,800
Motorola Xoom 3G: 22,999 Wi-Fi: 20,499

Gadgets that only have Wi-Fi
Micromax Funbook: 6,499
HCL ME Tablet U1: 7,999
BlackBerry Playbook (16 GB): 13,990
Lenovo IdeaPad A1: 15,400

NIMISH DUBEY ET121008