Audiobook players are rapidly gaining ground in the Android Market and we thought it would be worth mentioning one in particular. Akimbo Audiobook Player for Android is one of the most comprehensive players on the market today and truly offers a big bang for your buck. The list of features for this application are endless. Akimbo offers support for M4A, M4B and of course MP3 file formats. Bookmark special locations in your audiobook, identify chapters easily and even have the ability to control the speed of listening to your content with Presto. The UI is easy to use and navigating is a breeze.
It’s recommended that you try out the trail version first to see whether or not your device is compatible due to the multiple versions of Android available. Ready to give this one a go? You can hit up the download on our popular apps database where you’ll also find a QR code available or you can check it out on the Android Market. Unfortunately, the app will run you $2.50 in the Market, but for the price, you get a ton of features. Hit the break for the full list of specs and to check out some more screen shots of the application. Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the app in the comments below.
From The Developer:
Akimbo player is the most comprehensive audio book player in the market. It is specifically tailored for audio book formats (M4A, M4B, MP3) and comes equipped with various features such as: identify chapters and covers in all types of books; maintain position and volume per book; partial speed control support (see below); allow numerous ways to change your position (from configurable step button to a “go to any position” dialog), bookmarks and more…
IMPORTANT NOTE: due to the differences in audio capabilities between different Android OS versions and device models, it is recommended you install the trial version before using this application, to ensure that your audio files are playable on your device:
Notable features:
• Supports all the major audio book and other audio formats: M4A, M4B (including iPod chaptered books), MP4, MP3, ogg vorbis.
• Reads cover images and chapter information from within audio book files.
• Parses WMA and FLAC (actual ability to play depends on your device).
• Maintain your last position and last set volume level for each book.
• Partial play speed control (IMPORTANT: requires purchase of Presto app and is limited to MP3 and OGG formats, will not work on M4B books).
• Allows bookmarks for each book.
• Configurable step buttons for quick shifts forwards or backwards.
• Easy to use “go to” dialog that will take you instantly to any chapter or position throughout the book.
• Home Screen Widget.
• Allows a one-click automatic download of covers for any book, or for your entire library at once.
• A configurable “lock” mode, which prevents accidental changes of position during play.
• Sleep Timer, pausing play after a specified time.
• Loads your entire library at once: offers a one-click scan of any folder tree on your device.
• The player screen offers a host of accessibility and experience improving features, including large-font and human voice indication (and approval) for your actions.
• Allows undoing and redoing any accidental change in position while listening.
For easy listening to your audiobook without looking at the screen (while engaged in some other action or for the visually impaired) it offers a range of accessibility features (including human voice indications) as well as an option to lock the player against accidental changes.
The player is highly recommended not just for audiobooks, but for any episodic format, such as music albums or podcasts.
A note on permissions:
• Internet access is only done at your express request to download covers (it is never launched without a user pressing the download cover button). No personal information is ever sent outside your phone.
• Access to your phone’s state is required to pause the player when a call comes in. No other use of this permission is made.
• Writing to the external storage is required if you choose to save the app’s data (library, images, etc.) on the SD card, instead of the device’s internal storage. No other use of this permission is made.
• Battery status and wake lock permissions are used to prevent locking the device (when configured by the user) when playing or when playing while connected to a power source.