iphone apps READ ME STORIES

Sep 3, 2010

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in 1st Grade Apps, App Reviews, Apps by Age and Grade, eBook Apps for Kids, Education Apps for Kids, Kindergarten Apps, Preschool Apps, Reading Apps

APP AT A GLANCE

PRICE: $2.99 a month

FREE VERSION: there is a 7 day trial
CUSTOMER RATING: 3 / 5
MY RATING: 2 / 5 (not good)
BUY IT? no
TRY IT? maybe

Read Me Stories by 8Interactive

Read Me Stories by 8interactive is a great idea, however this idea gets lost in translation. Firstly, the app is quite slow and both parent and child get impatient waiting for it to load. Once loaded, you have 2 books that you can read but you can see books that are coming soon – inevitably the child wants to read one of the books that is not currently available, and this is where the frustration begins. You can’t just buy that book to read – and if you could, it would not be worth the minimum app price o.99c.

Unfortunately, the worst thing about Read Me Stories is that the book are not interesting. The graphics are nice, but the stories just okay – and the voiceover is incredibly cloying. My son even turned the iPhone over and looked away at one point. I do not have any problems with paying for ebook apps if they are good, but some apps miss basic interactivity that is the main attraction of reading on an iPhone or iPad. For example, a simple addition would be a “bouncing ball” type effect that allows kids to follow along with the words. If you want to get a simple, but well done book app for kids, try the Wheels On The Bus app by Duck Moose.

Free Trial NOT Free App:
The app is listed as free, but it is only really a free trial. After 7 days, you will be prompted to pay $3 month for the daily new books. Ten cents a day this is not expensive, IF the books were good.

Recommendations:
Don’t make me subscribe on a monthly basis. If I had the option of buying the next 5 books for 0.99c, I would have – but the thought of month after month of books with the same voiceover, no, no, no!

Comments

6 responses to “iphone apps READ ME STORIES”

Patricia

January 4, 2012

I agree with this post. I find the audio to be incredibly annoying and the stories are not very well written. I really like the illustrations and wish that the content was on par. I’ve written a lot of K-3 stories and I don’t quite understand why these are so boring and lacking plot or development. Despite all of that, I keep using the app and hoping to see improvements with each new book.

Reply
Tim de Jardine

July 23, 2011

Just following up from my last comment. The app does not operate off a subscription model and has not for some time. We have changed it so users can simply purchase a series of books at a bargain.

Reply
Nikki

January 22, 2011

It is not clear that this is a free trial version not a free app! ….I downloading this thinking it was free until i read this…I will be deleting it after the seven day trial—I will not subscribe to any app on a monthly basis. Make this clearer before it is downloaded.

Reply
1. admin
  
  January 22, 2011
  
  Nikki, I agree with you and that was my issue with the app when I reviewed it. Seems like that hasn’t changed since I first reviewed it.
  
  Reply
admin

September 3, 2010

Thanks for taking the time to leave a reply.

You’re right, my opinion is just one opinion. I don’t have a problem with the subscription model in general, I just don’t like this particular app.

I really wish you the best of luck….and if you ever consider adding an option to let users add a group of books rather than subscription only, let me know and I will check it out again.

Reply
Tim de Jardine

September 3, 2010

thanks for using and reviewing Read Me Stories, we really appreciate your support!

I apologize that the app appeared slow when you used it, there is a new version in the store that addresses the load issues in several areas, please update your app.

We find that our customers love the ‘book a day’ model as it builds anticipation in the child’s mind about the next book when it comes to reading time. This in turn builds a daily reading habit.

Regarding the ‘trial’, we have modified the latest version of the app to make this even clearer to our non-subscribing users.

Thanks for your view on content we are always happy hearing feedback from customers & we are continuously improving content. Your narrative is one side of the story, we have many thousands of happy customers who love the books.

We find that our users prefer the monthly subscription as it takes away the hassle and risk of searching for more content to have their child consumes it in seconds and be bored. Subscription is also significantly cheaper than buying a book a day from the store.

Really appreciate your feedback, thank you!

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