Barnes & Noble Bookstore

The Barnes and Noble app is very cool. I usually check Amazon.com for book ideas then reserve them at the library. (Although if I told you how much I recently had to pay in library fines to get our cards unlocked you’d ask me why I don’t just go ahead and buy the books already. It’d certainly be cheaper.) Now that I’ve got this app on my iPhone I can easily look for book ideas while I’m out and about, away from my computer.

The app is divided into four main screens – Discover, Search, Stores and Cart. On the “Discover” screen you can tap “Bestsellers” to see what they’ve got on their bestseller list for books, movies and dvds. Then tap a book title and you’ll see more details about it, including an overview and rating. If you like the book you can add it to your cart or find and reserve the book in a store. I thought that was a nifty tool. It asks you to search for your local store and will then tell you if the book is in stock. If it’s in stock you fill out a simple form and later you’ll get an email from the store when the book is available. You can do the same things for movies and dvds. Also on the “Discover” screen you can explore new releases, Barnes & Noble recommendations, read book reviews and watch short videos about authors and artists.

The “Search” button takes you to a screen where you can search for products by name or keyword. You can also take a picture of a book, DVD or music CD and the app will search for it that way. The “Stores” button looks for stores near your iPhone’s location.  When you find your local store you’ll get an address, phone number and list of upcoming events. Tap the “Cart” button and if you’ve placed anything in your shopping cart it will show up here.  If you want to checkout you’ll be taken to Safari and the Barnes and Noble website to finish your transaction.

I love browsing Amazon but sometimes I’m in the mood to just look at books. The Barnes & Noble app is perfect for doing that and it’s definitely staying on my iPhone.

Price when Reviewed: Free

See the app at iTunes

Seller: Barnes & Noble