Audible.com Review

By: Franjo Tarandek
Submitted: 2008-09-09 11:45:28
Print this article | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Audiobooks present a great way to extend your reading and learning opportunities: they make it possible to avail yourself of either some entertainment or education while commuting, exercising, traveling, doing housework... This convenience, however, seems to be reserved for those with deeper pockets only: $50 price tags, often even more, are a common occurrence with audiobooks distributed on CDs, and even downloadable content does not lag far behind. Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem: meet Audible.

Audible, Inc.(since January 2008 a subsidiary of Amazon.com) is probably the No.1 provider of premium digital audio information and entertainment on the Internet. Audible specializes in the spoken experience, providing digital audio editions of books, newspapers and magazines, original programming, and TV and radio subscriptions.

Audible's main advantage lies in it's membership plans. Basically, in exchange for a commitment on your part to buy at least one audiobook (or some other equally valued audio program) per month, you get your audio entertainment at prices that are in range with printed paperback books.

Here's how this works: as a member, you will receive a certain amount of credits each month in exchange for a monthly fee. The credits are used to purchase audio content, which is then downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady® computer-based and wireless mobile devices.

Currently, you can choose between two membership plans: Audible Gold and Audible Platinum.

With Audible Gold you get one credit per month for which you are charged $14.95 monthly fee. The credit can be used to purchase almost any audiobook available in Audible's library (some rare exceptions apply) or any other audio program. If you sign up for the annual plan you get two months of membership for free and 12 credits all at once. The price of a credit in this case is $12.46 (17% off).

Audible Platinum plan is aimed toward more demanding listeners. Here you get two credits per month for a $22.95 fee (or $11.47 per credit). Again, signing up for the annual plan will get you two months free in which case the price of a single credit drops to $9.56.

The main benefit of Audible membership are, without a doubt, the savings. For one credit (which can cost you from $9.56 to $14.95, depending on the plan and the length of your commitment), you can get pretty much any audiobook or other audio program from Audible's huge library. Seeing how plenty of audiobooks are priced at up to $70 (or more, on occasion), it's clear there are substantial savings to be made on a single audio program.

Furthermore, as a member you get 30% off any additional items you buy at the Audible store, a free audio newspaper, plus there will be special e-mail offers featuring even more savings.

Audible members currently have over 50,000 audio programs to choose from. These include digital audiobooks from dozens of genres such as mysteries and thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, romance, history, literary fiction etc. All the popular authors such as Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Stephen King... are included and represented with their entire backlists. If you are more into classics you'll find everything from Shakespeare to Tolstoy to Hemingway. There are thousands of titles on business, education, self help, health & fitness, religion & spirituality, science & technology, language instructions... and much more.

In addition to audiobooks, Audible also offers newspaper subscriptions such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The New Yorker... to mention just a few. You can buy a single issue or subscribe to future issues.

Members can also purchase or subscribe to radio shows and podcasts such as This American Life, Car Talk, The Ricky Gervais Show, In Bed With Susie Bright... and many more.

To sweeten the deal for new members even further, Audible is offering special introductory deals for both plans. Currently they look like this: if you sign up for the Gold plan you get 50% off the first 3 months of membership -- that's 3 audiobooks for $7.49 each. Audible Platinum, on the other hand, offers a free 14-day trial so you can evaluate the service properly before making a commitment. You will be allowed to download 2 audiobooks of your choice for no charge -- which you will be able to keep even if you decide against retaining your membership

At BookClubs-Online.com you can find more information about Audible membership plans, including a comprehensive review and detailed account on savings.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Product Reviews category

  • What's Great About Fellowes Helios Binding Machines - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Fellowes is an office machine manufacturer that has always made cutting-edge products for a variety of applications such as paper shredding and lamination. They also make great binding machines and their two new Helios 30 and 60 thermal binders are some of their best products yet. Let's take a look at what makes these products so great and why you should get one for your office.
  • The Eight Great Features of the Royal Sovereign RBM-1500 Plastic Comb Binding Machine - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Plastic comb binding is one of the quickest ways to create documents that you can be proud of. Whether you're binding a report, proposal, or anthology, this is one document finishing method everyone can use. One of the best products available for this type of binding is the Royal Sovereign RBM-1500. This device has a lot of great features and is compact enough to carry around. So, read on to discover the eight great features of the Royal Sovereign RBM-1500.
  • Royal Sovereign RBE-2000 Comb Binding Machine Review - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Plastic comb binding is a great way to bind your reports, proposals, anthologies, and more. If your organization needs a device that has a terrific binding capacity and can work fairly quickly, the Royal Sovereign RBE-2000 might be just the ticket.
  • Royal Sovereign RBM-1200 Comb Binding Machine Review - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Plastic comb binding is an easy way to put together your important documents, but to do so, you really need to have the right machine. A device that was designed for light, occasional use is the Royal Sovereign RBM-1200. Here are the pros and cons of this product.
  • The Pros and Cons of the Royal Sovereign CS-900 Laminator Review - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Royal Sovereign has a respectful lineup of pouch laminators and one of their smallest devices is the CS-900. This is an extremely small laminator that is reasonably priced and can be used easily, but it does lack a few key features, such as a reverse mode. Let's take a look at this product's pros and cons so you can determine is this is the device for you.
  • The Top Five Features of the Royal Sovereign CS-900 Laminator - By: Jeff McRitchie
    A laminator is a great device to have on hand if you want to protect your important documents and even do crafts, such as creating your own bookmarks. One machine that's particularly good for both professional and personal use is the Royal Sovereign CS-900 Pouch Laminator. It is a very affordable product that looks great, can laminate lots of different kinds of items, and is easy to operate. Lets take a look at the top five features of the CS-900 so you can see what this machine can offer you.
  • Quartet Standard Whiteboards - A Review - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Quartet is one of the most popular whiteboard manufacturers and they make products for a wide variety of applications. Their Standard Whiteboards are some of their more basic products and they are good for occasional and personal use. Here is a review of these products, including a look at how well they erase, what frames are available, and accessories they come with. Read on and discover if one of these products is what you've been looking for whether you need one for your home office or your cubicle at work.
  • The Great Features of the Quartet Prestige Total Erase Whiteboard - By: Jeff McRitchie
    A whiteboard is a handy tool to have in the workplace because it can help you communicate with co-workers and jot down notes during staff meetings. One of the best whiteboards you can buy at the moment is the Quartet Prestige Total Erase Whiteboard. This product has some great special features that make it easy to use and it's available in a number of different sizes so you're likely to find one that's just right for your workplace. Lets take a look at the terrific features of this board.
  • Eight Reasons to Check Out the Royal Sovereign RMB-1200 Comb Binding Machine - By: Jeff McRitchie
    A plastic comb binding machine is a great addition to any office that needs a quick way of putting together those important reports, proposals, and brochures. If your office is in need of one, a device that's great for light to moderate use is the Royal Sovereign RMB-1200 Comb Binding Machine. This product is one that offers easy operation, the ability to bind documents containing up to 150 pages, and other great features. Here are eight reasons you should check out this product for your binding needs.
  • Reviewing the Royal Sovereign RHD-2201 Pouch Laminator - By: Jeff McRitchie
    When you have a pouch laminator in your workplace, document protection is right at your fingertips. One laminator that's ideal for professional use is the Royal Sovereign RHD-2201. This is a commercial-grade device that has some of the most sought-after features a laminator can have, including a cold setting and the ability to accept mounting boards. It is also easy to operate and laminates beautifully. However, it does have a couple of minor flaws that also need to be discussed, such as its inability to turn itself off. That said, here are the pros and cons of this product.