Gadgets & Apps for Audiobook Lovers

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Let’s talk about anything bookish!

If you have been following me on Goodreads or even my blog, I love audiobooks. It took a number of years before I got used to listening to audiobooks. Honestly, it has made me “read” faster than I would have, had I not started listening to audiobooks.

For those of you who want to delve into the awesomeness that is the audiobook, I will be sharing the tech and gadgets that I use, listening to the audio.

The Gadgets

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus 32 GB

I use my phone to listen to audiobooks. Samsung is actually my go-to phone and I have had this phone for about a year now. This phone has a lot of memory so downloading multiple audiobooks on it does not slow the phone down at all. I usually download 1 audiobook on Audible and about 4-6 audiobooks on Overdrive and even with that, the phone does not lag at all. On the other hand, I also don’t have music saved on my phone so it does work for me.

Motorola Roadster 2 Wireless In-Car Speaker Phone

I purchased the Motorola Roadster 2 (affiliate link) in July of last year and I love it. I have an older car and when I purchased it in 2009, there wasn’t the option to have Bluetooth on the car. But hey, I bought my 2010 Honda Fit in 2009 and I wasn’t listening to audiobooks then. Plus, that wasn’t what I was thinking when I purchased the car. Anyway, now I know what to look for when I’ll get a new car. haha

The Motorola Roadster 2 has enough battery life to last for about three days. I commute to work 21 miles every day and it usually takes me about an hour to get to work and a little bit over an hour to get home. You can also use the Motorola Roadster 2 to receive calls. I do not use this for voice command handsfree texting and I haven’t tried the app the comes with it. It works with Audible and Overdrive really well. Also, this automatically turns on and off when you get in and out of your car.

Beats by Dre Powerbeats 2 Wireless In-Ear Headphone

I inherited this headphone for Pierre because he got himself a newer shiny, apparently better one? He listens to heavy metal music so I guess he needs a better one? Whatever, this Powerbeats 2 wireless in-ear headphones (affiliate link) are very efficient when I listen to audiobooks and doing my chores (i.e. laundry and dishes). I absolutely love that the cord isn’t in the way when I am working. Although I don’t listen as much while I’m at home, I use the Beast when I do. Battery life for the headphones is awesome too!

The Apps

I have only used 3 audiobook apps. But now, I have culled it down to two. I used to subscribe to Scribd but since they decreased the number of audiobooks every month and I didn’t want to spend more to get extra audiobooks. And this is even borrowing, not owning the audiobook.

Overdrive

I use Overdrive a lot especially for borrowing books from your library for free! I love the easy app navigation and also the ability to speed up and slow down the audio, which is really helpful for those narrators that have a very slow or fast pace. You can also fast forward or rewind easily. You can also boost the audio for up to 3 levels, which is very handy when the audio volume is not too loud.

Audible

I am an Audible Gold Member which is basically the lowest tier at $14.95 per month for 1 audiobook. You can listen to samples of the audio before purchasing and you also have about a year to return your audiobooks if you end up not loving the audiobook. You get credits every month, I get 1 credit with my member tier and they roll over if you don’t use it for the month.

I also love their app interphase since you can also browse the store for audiobooks that you might like. Also, a banner will show up on the audiobook cover if you finished it. The bad thing about the app is that it is not linked to Goodreads.

Are you an audiobook listener? If so, what apps do you use? What gadgets are the perfect ones to use for audiobooks? Share them below!

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