EBSCO released a free Android version of its EBSCOhost app this week, following on its iPhone/iPad app, which was released in March. The app lets users access EBSCOhost content on both Android phones and tablets.
As with the iPhone app, the new app’s authentication process is simplified compared to the EBSCOhost Mobile website application. After the patron visits a library’s EBSCOhost to receive an authentication key, the app’s authentication is valid for nine months. The app also allows users to save articles, including full-text PDFs, for offline viewing.
Ron Burns, the senior director of software product management at EBSCO Publishing, told LJ that upcoming features in development incorporating EBSCO’s ebooks will roll out on both iOS and Android. Planned features include the ability to store content locally on devices, including annotations, and syncing between the EBSCOhost desktop and app platforms.
Two other EBSCO apps, Business Books Summaries and the Nursing Reference Center, which were released for the iPhone and iPad in March, have yet to be released for Android. The company is currently assessing the demand and migration work that would be needed for those apps, Burns said.
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