OverDrive Media Console and Me

[krenopus]

OverDrive Media Console v2.2

With a desire to see what ebooks my library had to offer, I installed this app onto my iPad (iPad model MC824LL (which is the iPad 1 model)), running iOS v4.3, via the App store.

As far as I can tell OverDrive is only a DRM protection application.
All the search and read functions appear to be in Safari.

With the aid of a Library eTech, I was able to locate an available ePUB book, and download it. However, once the download was completed, the book never showed up in the OverDrive “library†section. At this point, I contacted OD Tech support.

The OverDrive tech support, appears to be an automated email filter system, in which the term “iPad†is filter out as “iPhoneâ€.
Also, every response from the OD Tech support took a full 24 hours.
Each response requested that I do things to my iPhone to attempt to successfully load any audiobook. Note: “audiobook†not “ePUBâ€.
Unfortunately, the majority of the iPhone fixes, do not relate to the iPad.

After two weeks of steady work, with the OverDrive Tech support I was never able to find a single book in the OD Library screen.

Extra points:
My local library only has 312 ePUB books available.
The DRM protection scheme only allows one instance per book at a time.
You cannot return a ePUB book early.
Each book is checked out for 21 days.
I can only request 3 books at a time.
Looking at this; 300 books, checked out for 21 days each, each with 1 or 2 people already in the que, I’ll be waiting one to two months for any given title.

While OverDrive Media Console v2.2 looks really commercial quality, for ME, it did not work. I would rate this with a single star (for looks) at the app store.

Note: I assume that I am an unusual case and that for 90% (or better) of iPad users, this application would work fine – but not for me.

 

[Harbinse]

Try this for ePub and PDF books

Bluefire reader is an excellent app that lets you read epub books. It has drop and drag capability from itunes. Just goto your "My Digital Editions" under your Documents folder and drop into the Bluefire app. Doesn't give you the ability to change font and stuff but for a Adobe reader it works great on the iPad.

 

[Phine00Del]

I haven't had any issues with Overdrive, granted I've been using it for 1 week and have only tried one book but it was very easy to download a book from my library's overdrive website. It was a little confusing at first until I realized it would always link me to the website through safari then open the book in the overdrive app. I like that I dont have to go through another computer to get a book.

 

[bilgil]

Wait until you try to return a library book early only to find you have to download an Adobe app that include Flash..... Which we can't use. Deleting your library book through Overdrive does not return it. Soon you will end up with the max. number of check outs allowed. Adobes revenge I guess, for the moment anyway.

 

[krenopus]

I'm still using the iPad 1 (with WiFi and 3G), with iOS v4.3.3
but I have since upgraded to OD Media Console v 2.3

Question for you:
Does OverDrive actually download the book?

My reason for asking - I just took my lunch, outside of my normal WiFi range. Thinking it didn't matter, since I just planned to continue reading a book... Only the book didn't open. Instead I got the OD popup "loading" box, followed by the iPad searching for a local WiFi connection point.

Eventually the book loaded. But now I'm wondering why it didn't just popup.

I don't experience any load time issues with iBooks or the Kindle app. But the OD app seems to be calling home or loading data from a remote location prior to displaying any documents...

OH! I'm not speaking of the "app" loading. I'm speaking about the chosen book "within" the app, load times... (sorry)