App Review: Hoopla
Every walker has his or her own preferred methods for passing the time while walking. Some enjoy walking in quiet meditation—spending time enjoying nature and their own thoughts—but most of us need some kind of entertainment to distract us from the stress and anxiety of our life off the trail. Some choose to listen to music; others choose an audiobook or podcast. And many of those options are available for free through your local library on the Hoopla app.
Hoopla is a free app that uses your library card to access a plethora of digital media. You can find TV shows and movies—from old favorites to recent releases. You can also read digital comics or ebooks from every genre. But the highlights for walkers are the music and audiobook offerings.
I discovered Hoopla when my daughter was younger—and we’d often spend hours on the road, just the two of us, traveling to visit family. Before we left, we’d choose some kid-friendly audiobooks to pass the time—and we’ve enjoyed everything from the Whatever After series to the 39 Clues books during our travels. But now that she’s in school—and our girls’ trips aren’t as frequent—I mostly use Hoopla for my own entertainment. From time to time, I’ll pull up the app and browse through popular audiobooks—or my own personalized recommendations—and save some favorites. Then I can choose a book and download it to my phone, so I’ll be able to listen wherever I am. The app allows me to listen, move back or skip ahead, save bookmarks, or even choose different playback speeds. All books can be borrowed for three weeks at a time—and can be renewed as many times as needed. And you can borrow several items each month.
If you prefer to listen to music on the trail, that’s an option, too. Hoopla offers a wide selection of popular albums—featuring everyone from Taylor Swift to ABBA to movie soundtracks. Albums can be downloaded or streamed from your phone for up to a week at a time.
For those of us who spend a whole lot of time on the trails each week, it’s nice to have an app like Hoopla—a user-friendly app that provides hours of entertainment for free. Whether you want to pass the time listening to a cozy mystery or the latest album from your favorite artist, you’re sure to find plenty of great options here.
Pros:
– Easy to use
– Free access with a library card
– A huge library of titles—both classics and new releases
– Materials are available immediately—no waiting for an available copy
– Allows you to save favorites
– Provides recommendations based on your history
– Titles can be streamed or downloaded—so you don’t need to use data on the trail
Cons:
– Has the occasional glitch—which can be frustrating when you’re on the trail with nothing to listen to—but it doesn’t happen any more frequently than any other app
