iVerse Comic Books On Android, iPhone

If you’re a comic book fan, you’re really going to enjoy the comic book reading experience on the new iVerse application that will soon be available in the Android Market and iPhone App Store. Not only that, but looking at the companies video demo – illustrating the app on the iPhone – illustrates a unique advantage of Android over iPhone.

When I first watched the video I had 2 main feelings:

• Delayed reaction. That dude thrusts the iPhone on the screen with force and vigor and doesn’t speak until like 3 seconds later. I laughed.
• The method of bringing up the “options” on the iPhone is awkard. You have to press an arbitrary spot on the iPhone screen which you can tell he has trouble with. All you have to do with the Android version of the app is hit your handy “menu” button!

I love the menu button and here is one more example of why it is pure win. But all isn’t fun and games comics. A frustration echoed by Crave: “each comic you download installs as a separate app.”

This is out of legal necessity… at least for Android. Based on the terms of the Android Market agreement you can’t sell applications on the market that then make additional sales that circumvent the system. Remember, Android Market is taking a little cut from developers so if you get the “iVerse app” for free or even cheap and then continue to buy comics through its own proprietary, internal comic book market you’re cutting Android Market out of the loop.

Since that isn’t allowed the company has to release each comic book individually. At least, I presume this is the reason why. Critics will claim that this is a good way for the market to quickly become cluttered with nonsense. That’s a moot point if you ask me. Over the next couple years there will be so many applications in the marke, regardless of this rule that using a “search” function will be the best way to find what you’re looking for. In addition to, you know, following Phandroid.

So… DC or Marvel?