Fahrenheit 451 Review

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Fahrenheit 451 Review

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Fahrenheit 451 Review

By Timothy Smith on June 9th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: HOT
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Blackstone Audio brings one of the greats of science fiction literature to iOS with their intuitive audiobook app.

Developer: Blackstone Audio

Price: $9.99
Version: 2.1
App Reviewed on: iPad and iPhone 4

iPhone Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s a little ironic to listen to an audio book on such a technologically advanced device when the book is presumably about society’s over reliance on technology. The novel also warns about the dangers of censorship, but thankfully this edition is unabridged and uncensored. I may have missed some of the point by lazily resting my eyes and enjoying the book audibly via the crisp, clear narration, but I promise I won’t start running around torching iOS devices like a paranoid pyromaniac. Besides, it’s probably a lot harder to set an iPhone on fire than a traditional book. Enough about the literary influences of the work though; let me talk about the app. Fahrenheit 451 is a very impressive audiobook app for iOS that features some engaging extra features and a solid presentation.

The main portion of the app has a simple to use interface with large playback controls and a visual volume slider. The featured audiobook is split into 5 manageable portions that are easily navigable through the contents section of the app. There’s also a handy resume feature that saved me the hassle of having to find where I last left off every time I restarted the app. One of my favorite aspects of Fahrenheit 451 for iOS was the ability to run it in the background. I was able to surf the web, view photos, and use several multitask capable apps all while listening to the book. The narrator does an excellent job bringing the book to life, and the audio quality is phenomenal. The app also features several “Extras” which range from crossword puzzles and a trivia style game to famous quotes and information about the author. All of the extra features were informative and entertaining, but the amount of content provided seemed a little slim.

Even though the included extras weren’t as beefy as I would’ve preferred, they were all very professional and entertaining. Fahrenheit 451 is a great edition of the classic novel, and while it’s in the higher end of the app store price range, it is a decent value in the world of audiobooks. Fans of the source material and newcomers alike should be pleased with the high quality effort put into this presentation. It is one of my favorite books, and the iOS app certainly doesn’t disappoint.