Audible.com first opened back in 1999 and is now an internet
provider of educational programming, spoken audio entertainment
and information. Back in 1997 they are known to have introduced
one of the first digital audio players. The year after this
Audible.com launched a website whereby files could be downloaded
in aa.format. Audible.com was purchased in 2008 on January the
31st by Amazon.com for around $300 million. The deal for this
purchase was closed in the March of 2008, which means that
Audible.com is now a subsidiary of amazon.com, which sells audio
versions of magazines, and newspapers, as well as selling TV and
radio programmes and digital audio books.
What Audible Offers
Audible’s content on their website includes:
• In excess of 85,0000 titles.
• The above titles are provided by over 1200 alternative
providers.
• Which combined amounts to 1,000,000 hours of audible
programming.
Audible content includes:
• Classic and current radio shows
• Interviews.
• Speeches
• Audio versions of periodicals such as Wall Street Journal and
New York Times.
• Stand up comedy
The great thing about audible is that it is compatible with in
excess of 500 models of audio players, which include:
You can also download to mobile phones like iPhone® and
Blackberry®. Plus you can download to a Windows PC with the
following operating system:
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
With browsers; Internet Explorer, AOL or Firefox
Or you can use a MacIntosh with operating system:
• Mac OS x 10.1.5 or higher with iTunes 3.0 or higher. With
browsers; Camio, Firefox or Safari.
It is also possible to download audio books in different
versions and different qualities, which means that you can
currently download:
Description Format
CD Quality Audible Enhanced Audio
MP3 Quality Format 4
AM Radio Quality Format 2
FM Radio Quality Format 3
How Audible Works
Audible offers the chance for you to download and listen to a
whole heap of different audio books. It is compatible with over
500 models of audio players, mobile phones, PDA’s and streaming
media devices. You can also play files on a PC, ie. audible
manager, iTunes, Windows Media Player.
If you have a device which does not have an AudibleAir capacity
(which means that the user has the ability to download content
direct from their library to their device), then you will
require a MacIntosh or Windows PC to download files.
You can download a whole host of different audio books, which
includes the ability to download.
• Periodicals such as Wall Street Journal and the New York
Times.
• Current and Classic Radio Shows.
• Speeches.
• Interviews.
• Stand-up Comedy
• And books of various genres.
Pricing and Subscription Packages
There are four different plans to choose from. Two of these
plans are monthly and the other two plans are annual plans. All
of which you can cancel at any time. Please see table below:
It is worth noting that there is an offer on Audible Listeners
Gold Monthly at present (as of December 2010), whereby you pay
$7.49 per month for the first 3 months and $14.95 per month
thereafter.
What is a credit?
Credits are basically currently which can be used on Audible.com,
for example, 1 credit = 1 audio book.
Note: A small amount of audio books on Audible’s site may be
valued a little more than 1 credit.
Different Categories of Audio Books
Audio files on audible are put into categories, there are three
main categories which can be seen on the left hand side of the
home page when you log onto their website. These categories
consist of:
• Most Popular
• Audio Books
• Audio Equipment
Then the above three categories also have subcategories. Below
is a list of what you could expect to find in each of the
categories:
• Arts and Entertainment
• Comedy
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Nostalgia Radio
• Radio & TV
For instance in Audio Best Sellers you will find titles such as,
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King and American Assassin by
Vince Flynn. You can also choose to read by author or choose
from originals and exclusives.
Information about Best Sellers
Audible.com have a wide range of best sellers to choose from,
below are listed just some of the books which are available at
present on their best sellers list.
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and
Redemption.
• The Confession, A Novel Written by John Grisham
• Hells Corner, Written by David Baldacci
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest: The Millennium Trilogy,
Book 3
There are loads of best sellers to choose from and you can also
sort these audio files by categories, making it easier to find
the book which you want. All of the books listed have a brief
paragraph explaining what the book it about.
Audible’s deal with iTunes
It was rumoured that once Amazon bought out Audible.com that the
deal between iTunes and themselves would be dropped. It has
however been extended on numerous occasions. The original deal
with iTunes was set to expire back in September 2007 but was
extended to continue through to September 2010. The virtual
shelves of iTunes Music Store will continue to be stocked via
Audible, meaning that customers who subscribe to Audible will
benefit from 16,000 audiobooks, radio programs, paid podcasts
and language instruction.
Audible.com Websites
Audible.com also have websites in Germany, United States and
France. After clicking on all three of the websites, I have
discovered that the German, English and United States versions
are pretty much the same. The French version however, is
slightly different, although still offers good quality books.
Why Audible is Good
Audible is a fantastic way of downloading and keeping the books
you love. The great thing about Audible is that you can download
and listen to a book you love whilst you are on the move. So if
you are one of these people who do a lot of travelling, and
enjoy reading a good book, then Audible.com could be a good
choice for you. They have plenty in the way of good reads and
best sellers. So why not enjoy a good horror story or love story
whilst on your travels. It is also good if you are one of those
people who don’t like to read and can never settle down to read
a good book, this way someone does the reading on your behalf,
all you have to do is sit back and listen.
I personally cannot think of any disadvantages about Audible.com.
It is easy to use and covers most of the topics which people
would be looking for when searching for a good book.
