Oyster update brings new features plus subscription options via in-app purchase

Just a week after launching its reader for desktop and mobile Web browsers, the so-called "Netflix for books" startup Oyster has released another major update to its official iOS app. The latest update to Oyster for iOS delivers a number of new features and improvements, including support for bookmarks and more featured genres. As outlined by the Oyster team, the enhancements included in the new version of the app are:

Bookmarks! We have bookmarks!

More genres—our editors added 22 new, hand-curated genres to the library.

More personalization in Home including a new “Recommended for You” section.

A new color palette on iPad. It’s the finest navy you’ve ever set eyes on, if we may say so ourselves.

Design improvements to Explore. Genres are now shown in a beautiful new view with Recommended Genres displayed at the top.

Tap on the ellipsis or go to the bottom of Explore to see all Genres.

Major improvements to syncing across all platforms. Made with 3 parts code, 1 part elbow grease, and a dash of bitters.

Bug fixes and other performance improvements.

Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad running iOS 7.0 or later, Oyster is available on the App Store for free. Oyster offers unlimited access to its library of more than 500,000 e-books, including bestsellers and classics from leading publishers, for as low as $9.95 per month. But that's when you subscribe through Oyster's website. As it happens, the latest update to Oyster for iOS introduces a subscription scheme via in-app purchase, billed directly to your iTunes Store account. Note that this scheme offers Oyster subscriptions at rates slightly higher than those offered on Oyster's website: $10.99 for one month, $59.99 for six months, and $109.99 for one year. Oyster competes against the likes of Scribd, which offers unlimited access to its catalog of more than 400,000 e-books for $8.99 a month, and Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, which provides a selection of more than 600,000 Kindle e-books for $9.99 a month.