For more reasons than you think...
Written: Aug 29 '02
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I never would have guessed I would be a member of a 'Books on Tape' kind of program. I am an avid reader and also a very visual person so most of my pleasure comes from seeing the actual words on paper and hearing them in my own inner voice.
So, why then would I join an online Audio Book club? Short on time and low on mental stimulation. I have found it necessary to multitask my life to a higher degree than I would like and these digital books make it possible to listen to the latest books while driving, exercising, cleaning and even before bed. Audible.com has really improved my life in that way and I couldn't be happier with the service they provide.
Audible offers several choices to cater to people who want more or less of their service. Instead of paying "by the book", I choose the Premium Membership ($15.95/month) which allows me to pick 2 books to download for every month, for a period of one year. Because I signed this contract with them I received an Audible Otis mp3 player which is of incredible quality for a freebie. If you are thinking of joining I would definitely make sure you look into incentives and freebies as part of the deal, they are often running them.
I was very skeptical though that I would ever remember to make use of my 2 book a month allowance, and truthfully I figured Audible made their money counting on people to forget, but to my amazement Audible sent me a reminder that my book credit would expire and I should use it! To me that really showed they were a reputable company out to please their customers.
To get started with Audible, you will be asked to download their software which is simple enough. Their software will show as an icon on your computer and allows you to use Audible and access your selections without connecting to the internet. Next, you pick your title and choose download or stream (listen immediately from your computer). However, if you ever need to access it again, it will remain available to you on Audible's website for you. Lastly, you push Add to Device and it transfers the title to your palm pilot, mp3 player, or device of your choosing. A very user friendly and simple process.
As far as selection, there have only been one or two books that I actually wanted and couldn't find, but on my search I found many more that satisfied me. New books, like The Nanny Diaries and John Grisham's newest, were available almost immediately upon their hardcover release.
The one thing I do not find up to par is their cataloging system. If you just want to browse without choosing a category (like fiction, self help), you will get an enormous list, like 15,000 titles that it is impossible to browse through. In that way, brick and mortar book stores have an advantage over Audible. At the same time though, Audible's website is very user friendly, is very easy to navigate and has great suggestions to boot.
I truly have enjoyed my membership with Audible and find that out of all the online services I am signed up for, this is the most useful as it carries over into my life while I'm not connected to the Net. I am also very pleased with the pricing structure. I pay $15.95 each month and yesterday I downloaded a book that normally costs over $50 (it's 24 hrs long), and I still get one more book! Audible is truly a valuable service that I would highly recommend to anyone.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
meetvirginia
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Location: Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
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