Downpour.com

Blackstone Audio Books

In-app purchases

About this app

The free Downpour.com app gives your Android device access to all your downloadable audiobooks from the Downpour.com e-commerce website, complete with “single-touch” full library and audiobook list views.

No Wi-Fi connection is needed to download your audiobooks. As long as you have a cell connection you can begin your download—but data rates may apply. Once downloaded, you can take your audiobooks with you on the go.

Quick listening — You can start listening to your audiobook as soon as the first track is downloaded to your device. All additional tracks will continue to download in the background.

The Downpour.com app contains well designed playback functionality and controls, including track advance and previous track selection and bookmarking—the app saves your place automatically so you can pick up right where you left off without having to remember where you were. Other key features include track-list view and time elapsed by track/chapter, with on-screen track scrub bar functionality.

Easy Syncing — There is no need for difficult and time consuming transfers/syncing of files between your computer and your Android device. The Downpour.com app will handle all of the technical aspects for you—no more worrying about which file type is the most appropriate for your device.

WHAT’S NEW

◥ AUDIOBOOK RENTALS - First car rentals, then movie rentals, now save a boatload of money with audiobook rentals!

• Get 30-60 days to complete an audiobook.
• Free up space on your device.
• Save up to 70% off retail pricing.

CROSS-DEVICE SYNCING - Now you can listen to your favorite books on all your devices and never lose your place.


OTHER UPDATES
▰ Improved downloads on slow networks.
▰ Added variable playback speed.
▰ Added variable scrub speed.
▰ Individual track downloads.
▰ Individual track deletion.
▰ Save non-rental books to SD storage.

Ratings and reviews

For several months at least, the app has been super flaky. I don't dare use the buttons to skip +/-15 seconds because there's a 90% chance Downpour will freak out and refuse to play audio until I force quit the app. Same thing if I try to change the play position any other way. Plus, as other reviews have mentioned, the play speed keeps resetting to the app default whenever you pause playback, which is awful because the app settings page only lets you choose default speeds in 25% increments.

Downpour app does have the ability to adjust playback speed but only at specific speeds. This should be changed to allow the playback speed to be adjusted to any point in the range, as all other such apps do. If this is too difficult, at least the app should add points between .75 and 1, such as .8 and .9. Currently there is only one speed below 100%. A bug in how the playback speed setting works is that if play is paused or stopped, playback speed reverts to 100% and user must reset.

I like to listen to audio books while going to work. IN MY CAR! With Downpour I can listen to my books in the car but if I miss a few words or want to rewind/forward a bit, I am unable to. I could only do that on the phone. That is a safety hazard! If I am able to, then it takes me to the beginning of the track! That could be up to an hour back for just a few words that were not heard. How can it become more auto friendly? Why keep my membership if I can't truly listen to the books properly?

What's new

Stability and performance enhancements.