Related
This has been mentioned in one or two other places I could find, but I thought rather than bury my thoughts deep in a less specific thread, I'd start a new one. Hope it isn't too redundant.
I really love the way highlighting and annotating works in the NC's native reader, but as of right now you can't export those notes/highlights in any usable format, such as an annotated pdf, or something like that. Furthermore, the two pdf's I have opened with NC Reader, while the reading experience is nice, won't allow me to highlight the same way the eBooks do.
My ideal solution would be to find a reader that handles pdf's (and maybe other formats) for me and also allows me to make and save highlights and annotations (basically something like the flash app at crocodoc.com). I would certainly be willing to pay for this if any dev's want to give it a whirl.
Currently, given the fact I have yet to find such an app, I use this solution:
I start with a given pdf. If it is not already live text (meaning it's just a set of scanned images of text), I take it into Acrobat Pro and use OCR to create a clearScan copy, which contains the live text elements separated from any charts/images. From here I take the pdf and convert it to ePub format. This can be done with a free program like Calibre or even over the cloud at a site like 2epub.com. Once you have the ePub doc, you just put it on your NC (I use Dropbox), and it looks just like any other book in your library. I use the Reader app, and I can add highlights/notes until my heart's content.
Of course I still can't save any of my highlights/annotations off the NC this way, but maybe one day B&N will allow for that functionality. There's also the hope they will get a deal worked out to allow Flash content, which would mean I could go back to using crocodoc from a browser to do collaborative highlighting/annotating.
Anybody found a better solution at this point?
I second this poster. I love having this feature in my Sony Reader, it helps a lot with reading the documentation.
I also second this request. I would pay 20 dollars for a pdf reader that used standards-based pdf annotations. It would also be nice if the app remembered where you left off reading.
Sent from my LogicPD Zoom2 using XDA App
I have been looking for something exactly like this for my Nook Color. I would be willing to pay the premium to get this feature in a native PDF reader.
madyogi, thanks for this method, I will try it now and see how it works. Just in time for my trip tomorrow
Has anyone been able to run the Nook Android Application on a rooted Nook Color?
When I try to run it, it just exists immediately.
Why would you want to run the android app, when you already have the nook.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Nookie Froyo can and from what I've been told works fine, therefore the app works on the screen and such, but for some reason no it doesn't work properly in the B&N ROM.
I have the same experience, that is, immediate exit.
Why run it on the NookColor??
Because the Market app is just better.
Page turning is more like a page turn, the interface is better......
Tried killing native processes and it still won’t work..
No, ideas. I guess I’ll wait for Froyo.
moemoney12 said:
Why would you want to run the android app, when you already have the nook.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I knew someone was going to ask that.
Easy - once you add about 2700 books, the library app on the nookColor shows 0 books. You can still search, but you can no longer browse. (That's using up 2.5GB of space - so just about half).
I have 0 faith that B&N will fix this, so I was thinking perhaps that the android app would not have this limitation.
Whoa....have you reported this bug?
If that's the case i have no doubt it WILL be fixed. Has anyone duplicated this issue with that many books?
cabbieBot said:
Whoa....have you reported this bug?
If that's the case i have no doubt it WILL be fixed. Has anyone duplicated this issue with that many books?
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Click to collapse
I really hope you are right, but I wonder where you get your optimism.
E-mail technical support @ Barnes and Noble is non-existent. So far, the suggestions have ranged form hard resetting the device, to telling me how I can unarchive my books. So I gave up on that.
I called in a few times, and managed to get to the next level up of support, but can't seem to get them to file a bug report in their system. Previous companies I worked for, we would gladly file a bug report and give the customer the #. Not here.
As you can imagine, 2700 books might be considered an edge case - but not for long - especially given that the Nook reads PDFs, etc. 2700 is not all that much.
There's a post here: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com...ks-in-Library/m-p/770718/highlight/true#M3277 which shows another user concurring. I have seen others with the same issue as well...
Two things.
First, another valid reason to utilize the android app is the ability to use multiple accounts. I personally use three accounts on B&N, and it is super annoying that I have to wipe my account just to read my other books.
Second, if this is a real bug present in the stock Barnes and Noble library, they will fix it. The original NOOK has had five updates to fix bugs and add features, and Barnes and Noble will continue this with the NOOKcolor. The main reason they chose the android OS as opposed to creating their own ( a la kindle or sony) was the easiness of OTA updates.
Two things.
First, another valid reason to utilize the android app is the ability to use multiple accounts. I personally use three accounts on B&N, and it is super annoying that I have to wipe my account just to read my other books.
Second, if this is a real bug present in the stock Barnes and Noble library, they will fix it. The original NOOK has had five updates to fix bugs and add features, and Barnes and Noble will continue this with the NOOKcolor. The main reason they chose the android OS as opposed to creating their own ( a la kindle or sony) was the easiness of OTA updates.
Also, the reason I am looking for it, is the ability to read holding the nook landscape, it is more confortable to me that way.
I prefer the Phone version of the UI in the Nook App and would like my CM7 NC to look the same as some of the button in the tablet version are hard to hit for some reason (especially 'go to shop', 'settings', etc).
I installed the APK that my phone downloaded but the app knows it's a tablet and converts to that. Anyone know how to make it look more like the phone version?
Greetings,
This is my first post here, so forgive me for posting in the general forum and not in the dev forums (I have to accumulate 10 posts to use the dev forums). I have a very important and worthwhile project that I'm hoping will interest a few devs here.
I am attempting to build a proof-of-concept for a very large educational institution that is considering implementation of ebook readers. Obviously, stock ebook readers are not up to what we need, and more robust tablets like the Galaxy Tab are cost prohibitive given the goal of distribution of these devices to tens of thousands of K-12 students. I don't want to be stuck with a single book distribution method, so I am looking for some standard Android flavor rather than a Nook-like interface.
So, here's my challenge to you. I would like to use the Nook Color (the $250 price point is perfect) to build a proof-of-concept low-end, semi-restricted Android tablet. I am looking for:
- Android 2.2
- Flash Support
- Ability to run:
- Dolphin Browser
- Regular Nook Android App
- Kindle App
- Google Book Reader App
- Adobe Reader App
- Some (undefined) Calculator App
- Stock Android Calendar App
- Stock Android Mail App
- Google Maps App
- Google Earth App
- Stock Android Gallery App or Equivalent
- Some (undefined) File Manager App
- Some (undefined) Note Taking App
I would also like the ability to load APK files (that we write) without the use of the Android Market. And . . . I need the final installation to *NOT* have root capability.
Anyone have a ROM to start this?
Also, while I'm somewhat familiar with rooting other Android devices, I'm not a developer and not a linux expert. I employ developers that have written a few Android apps, so they can handle the installation if necessary.
Any takers?
You can contact me off-list if you like at Dwayne at leeschools.net.
Thanks,
Dwayne
Wouldn't a $200 netbook be a far more usable tool to a student?
good thing you didn't post this in development.
once nook is updated to 2.2 this will basically all be possible with just root.
supposed to be released soon....
if you want a custom rom those will be around soon as well.
--edit--
i see you want this all without root. i don't believe that is possible. good luck though
There are specific reasons we are not considering netbooks for this project, beyond the scope of this discussion. For the purpose of this POC, we are only looking at touch-based slates.
I can't think of a way to fully disable root without someone being able to add it back. With that said would you be able to just delete the marketplace to make it "locked down" after installing everything? Possible disable super-level access as well?
I've not seen any confirmation that they are going to update to 2.2. I've only seen rumors to that effect. Do you have evidence to the contrary, because that would be great.
Additionally, the reason I'd like to involve the devs is because it is highly unlikely that B&N will release it with anything close to a stock 2.2 install. It will likely still require quite a bit of work to function normally. Hopefully I'm wrong on that account, but based on B&N's business model, I anticipate that they will do their best to prevent it from being used as a full tablet. They want to sell books. I don't think they want to sell devices without books. Not enough margin in the devices.
Perhaps I'm wrong related to their business model. I have approached B&N and requested an NDA to work with the Nook product team to see if they are interested in working together with us on a customized version. My feeling is that if they make very little on the device (with the goal of making the majority of their profit from content), they'll decline this offer.
MattJ951 said:
I can't think of a way to fully disable root without someone being able to add it back. With that said would you be able to just delete the marketplace to make it "locked down" after installing everything? Possible disable super-level access as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We could remove super user, but I'd also like to prevent users from killing services. I anticipate that we'll need some additional security apps that need to run full-time. One of our big challenges is that, by law, whenever we provide an Internet-capable device for students to take home, we are required to filter Internet. That's a huge task. On a PC, we an lock it down and force traffic through our filters from outside. From an Android device, we don't know how to handle that yet. We have a few approaches. I'm in discussion with M86 regarding an Android equivalent to their mobile client.
But . . . we have a lot more experience locking down a Windows or Mac PC than a phone OS. Most phone OSes are built from the perspective of a consumer, where the user is free to add/remove apps. We need a way to deal with that. Haven't gotten that far yet. The first order of business was to see if we can build our base functionality in a $250 device.
DwayneA said:
I've not seen any confirmation that they are going to update to 2.2. I've only seen rumors to that effect. Do you have evidence to the contrary, because that would be great.
Additionally, the reason I'd like to involve the devs is because it is highly unlikely that B&N will release it with anything close to a stock 2.2 install. It will likely still require quite a bit of work to function normally. Hopefully I'm wrong on that account, but based on B&N's business model, I anticipate that they will do their best to prevent it from being used as a full tablet. They want to sell books. I don't think they want to sell devices without books. Not enough margin in the devices.
Perhaps I'm wrong related to their business model. I have approached B&N and requested an NDA to work with the Nook product team to see if they are interested in working together with us on a customized version. My feeling is that if they make very little on the device (with the goal of making the majority of their profit from content), they'll decline this offer.
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Click to collapse
Dude, all of those hings are capable. Have you done any reading in this forum. Just get a nookie froyo 2.2 card set one up the way you want. uninstall super user and market. make lotsa copies of card and stick it in nook. If you really want you can also trash the firmware on the internal memory so it will not even book the stock nook firmware.
enjoy!
Consideration should be taken that rooting technically voids the manufacturer's warranty. Other than that, using the NookColor as a tablet is still a gamble in terms of getting a rock-solid and reliable device. Supporting the devices may be problematic.
Fortunately, the devs here are doing great work and I fully expect (hope) that it will be a rock-solid reliable device very soon.
You will probably also want to avoid booting from the microsd because they are easy to remove.
Filtering could be done with a VPN.
to avoid removal of micro sd, just put a little sugra on the break where the nook opens for the micro sd, sort of lieka warrenty sticker
If you need help. Let me know.
The Nook Color already has a Froyo image that can be installed. DSP currently doesn't work. That is responsible for video decoding not only for local files, but for Flash video as well.
Other than that, Flash will still run, but not on all occasions, and the rest of your requirements have already been accomplished (ie. apks can be installed and already exist on the Market or from the Internet).
You can install the Froyo image (it consists of a boot image and a system image) to your Nook easily, and afterward install all of the "G" apps with a quick copying of a folder.
Check here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=864
- Do a little reading
- Possibly try installing Froyo on your memory card first.
- PM me if you need any guidance. I'm feeling pretty PRO at this after using adb all weekend to work with my Nook.
FYI: You can completely hose your internal installation and still be good (As long as you don't actually corrupt your memory physically). The Nook can always be booted off of a microSD card and restored to a fresh installation.
Edit: I just read some of your other posts. Just a thought: You could uninstall or disable the browser by default, thus not having to worry about Internet filtering. Later, users could still install apks from the sdcard (All that you have to do is tick a box in "Settings"). You can also do all of this without touching the stock rom. Of course you'd want to disable that from booting ever, so... after you were booted into your microSD card OS you could use adb to delete the content of the mmcblk0p1 (boot) partition. But I think that still might go against BN's warranty rules.
I understand the reasoning of wanting to lock it back down but if your students are capable of finding XDA (I'd imagine 1 or 2 of them is, at least) then that person would probably root the systems for anyone who was so inclined. I mean, B&N wasn't able to stop it, it's not likely that you would (without some sort of remote supervision app that could monitor and detect rooting).
gallahad2000 said:
I understand the reasoning of wanting to lock it back down but if your students are capable of finding XDA (I'd imagine 1 or 2 of them is, at least) then that person would probably root the systems for anyone who was so inclined. I mean, B&N wasn't able to stop it, it's not likely that you would (without some sort of remote supervision app that could monitor and detect rooting).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that was going to be my 2cts. A student would just have to pop in an sd card. And it would be a little unfair not giving student that right? And even then, they could always push something over via adb.
Have you looked at other options like the Archos line of Android tablets?
Otherwise, the SD Card install of Froyo works well - just superglue the opening
Why would any school district buy tablets with no warranty? Doesn't seem that feasible to me.
blackderbyhat said:
Why would any school district buy tablets with no warranty? Doesn't seem that feasible to me.
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Click to collapse
He's only looking for a proof of concept right now, and is trying to work with Barnes and Noble directly.
I forsee many broken nooks in our future.
Okay, I picked up a NOOKcolor last week as my entry into both tablets and Android. I was thinking about waiting for the iPad2 but decided that a 1024x600, 7" Android tablet for 1/2-1/3 the price of an iPad was WAY too hard to pass up, especially given that I don't know yet how much I'll actually use a tablet (I think I'll end up using it a ton after a week of ownership, though!).
The first thing I did was upgrade to B&N 1.1 and then root that, and that went very smoothly. I played with that a bit and then decided to try our Nookie Froyo, and that also went relatively well. On the positive side Froyo gave me access to my corporate calendar, cut/copy/paste, and newer versions of the major apps, but on the negative side wifi seemed pretty flaky (mostly related to sleep/resume) and I couldn't figure out how to use the NOOKcolor's richer reader app with magazine, newspaper, and childrens' book support. As a result I ended up going back to the rooted stock version. However, I hate that I've lost corporate calendar access, and for the life of me I can't figure out how to set up a proxy server for when I'm on my corporate wifi.
After a week of playing with this thing, I have three major questions. If these are already clearly answered elsewhere please just say so (ideally with a pointer to the existing answer).
1) I'd like to have both the NOOKcolor reader (vs. the NOOK app on the market) and things that are offered by Froyo (and higher), e.g., corporate calendar. Is that possible? Can I add the Froyo versions of the mail/calendar/contacts apps to 2.1, or conversely can I add the B&N reader to Froyo/Honeycomb?
2) It's just amazing to me that Android doesn't support proxy configuration as a first-class option! Is this something that's been added in Honeycomb? If not, does the custom kernel in Nookie Froyo/Honeycomb support iptables so that I could use one of the proxy configuration tools out there? If so, can someone recommend a tool that's worked for them?
3) How much of a difference does overclocking make in day-to-day use. I'm not talking about benchmark test numbers or a slightly smoother framerate in Angry Birds. I'm talking about using the normal apps like the browser, email clients, and just navigating around in launchers and such. Is it a big enough difference (and a safe enough change) that it's worth doing, or is it more about bragging rights?
Thanks much for all the amazing work folks have done for this device!
I use the NC as a 50% ereader and though I installed the Mirage-Kang ROMwhich has given it fantastic Android performance and stability, none of this changes an iota in terms of the best app to read with. I've installed a wide variety of apps, and will share my favorites, but would like yours on which is your favorite and why.
Obviously ebook format is not an issue with Calibre. I don't view using it as an ordeal either and usually have fun perusing the Amazon or Google pickings for the best cover. In any case, spending a few minutes before spending many an hour with a good book is obviously nothing.
Among the ereaders I have installed and tested are Aldiko, Kobo, Moon, Cool Reader, FBReader, and Kindle. I live in Brazil, so the Android market Nook app is not available to me.
My top two are Aldiko and Kindle. They are my favorites for proper epub/mobi formatting and overall reading experience.
Aldiko - Aldiko achieves the best font size for my eyes with a customizable size 18 (one larger than the default), and it also renders the book formatting perfectly. Many ereaders get this wrong with odd spacing after a paragraph and other, and do not respect the epub coding. The page color, which is also an infinitely lightly tinged yellow, just enough to reduce glare, is perfect. I also enjoy its bookcase opening screen. The one mark against it, but a big one, is the lack of dictionary.
Kindle - Kindle is a remarkably good ereader which gets the important things right, but is second best in a few others. The formatting and fonts are perfect, and my only complaint is the lack of choices in font sizes. Personally, my ideal would be between the default (a fraction small), and the next larger, though the next larger is still a great reading experience. The Kindle actually gets my nod as best due to the reading experience and its fantastic dictionaries. I read in more than one language, and while fluent, enjoy fine literature so will find words I do not know. Kindle is quite incredible in supplying dictionaries in all these languages for easy and instant look-up.
Kobo - Kobo deserves a special mention even though they get essential things wrong such as bad formatting, an onerous note system, and no dictionary. They have some very innovative ideas on the other front, such as fun achievements for reading at night, finishing a book (I presume) and others, which make a less assiduous reader get into the experience. Their front presentation and bookmarker are also very attractive.
The other ereaders such as Cool Reader, FBreader, Moon+, didn't really impress. They are very good of course, but for basics, Aldiko was better, even if it does not have ten thousand configuration options like Cool Reader. CR, for example, has fancy old-looking pages, as well as a graphical page turning effect, with sound effect and all, but once you actually start getting involved in a book, these effects are unimportant at best, and distracting at worst. Also, none had the Kindle dictionary.
I've tried most of them and I have stopped and went ahead with Mantano Reader. It serves me best.
votinh said:
I've tried most of them and I have stopped and went ahead with Mantano Reader. It serves me best.
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Click to collapse
Ditto for Mantano. I was a big Aldiko user, and also had to use a couple different PDF readers before, but once I found Mantano, I got rid of all the others and just use the one. I especially like how it reflows and zooms/crops the PDFs to improve readability.
added: although I still use Kindle for actual kindle books. I never use dictionary functions, but I also don't read in foreign languages, so I can see why you might want that functionality. Perhaps pair Mantano with a standalone dictionary app?
I mainly use Kobo because of the achievements and the widget, despite the bad formatting stuff, which doesn't bother me much. I began using Moon Reader Pro because it has TTS features, for when I want to have a quick read. For PDFs I use EZPDF Reader for its awesome annotation features, most things I read on PDF are for College, so there's a lot of highlighting and commenting.
I looked at it and agree it is a superb PDF reader, and also has excellent management functions, but as an ebook reader for epub/mobi I think Aldiko and Kindle have an edge. Still, thanks for the recommendation, as it is now my de facto PDF reader.
votinh said:
I've tried most of them and I have stopped and went ahead with Mantano Reader. It serves me best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried it on both CM7 and CM9 and found it to be a lot slower when handling my large (1000+ page) files. Changing pages takes a few seconds with Mantano, whereas the Kindle app has pretty much no lag at all. Did you somehow get it to run smoother or are you just a lot more patient than I am ?
I use Kindle for Kindle books, Books for Google books, and Nook app for Nook books. I use ezpdf for pdfs. Before putting CM7 on the nook I used Calibre but it is not worth it anymore. I boot into standard nook for some kids books that require the nook for read aloud functions. I use golden dictionary and appreciate how much easier it is to switch back and forth btw dictionary and book with CM9.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
I suppose this question must pop up at least once a month, although it'd be nice if people would search and look at previous suggestions rather than a new post. Even bump an old thread and ask if anyone has new suggestions as necessary.
As for me, my answer is always FBReader. I don't read PDFs unless absolutely necessary.
Tried nearly all of them, Moon+ is it for me. Read probably 50 ebooks in the past 6 months, maybe half with Moon+, half with Aldiko, and tried several others for less than a whole book. Moon+ all the way.
I used Aldiko a lot until I switched to CM9 and was unable to get the Adobe authentication (for books from my local library) to work (they only allow a limited number of authentications per user). I switched to the Kindle reader, which isn't as versatile but if you have an Amazon account there are not authentication issues (most of the books I read are from the library).
bigbob23 said:
I used Aldiko a lot until I switched to CM9 and was unable to get the Adobe authentication (for books from my local library) to work (they only allow a limited number of authentications per user).
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Click to collapse
YOu can fix this in 10 minutes with Adobe support using their online chat. Go to the Adobe site, log in using the same credentials you used for ADE and find the support->chat button. I forgot what screen it's on, and it's a pain to locate it, but once you do, they can clear your 6 prior registrations quickly. I've done this twice.
mr72 said:
Tried nearly all of them, Moon+ is it for me. Read probably 50 ebooks in the past 6 months, maybe half with Moon+, half with Aldiko, and tried several others for less than a whole book. Moon+ all the way.
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Click to collapse
mr72,
Have you found a way to get Moon+ to display page numbers (in the total book) rather than position in the chapter? I use Mantano because it always shows me I am on page 293 of 500 or whatever the situation is. It also doesn't change the total number of pages based on font size like some readers do.
Other than this little nit, Moon+ and Mantano both seem pretty comparable for the features that I use.
davidr415 said:
mr72,
Have you found a way to get Moon+ to display page numbers (in the total book) rather than position in the chapter? I use Mantano because it always shows me I am on page 293 of 500 or whatever the situation is. It also doesn't change the total number of pages based on font size like some readers do.
Other than this little nit, Moon+ and Mantano both seem pretty comparable for the features that I use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I find that you can set Moon+ to display the % in a mini status bar.
Options -> Miscellaneous -> Show mini status bar when reading (checked)
What I like about this is that it shows the % of completion of the book, without regard for font size, number of pages, etc. However, I can see how knowing how many pages there were total might be helpful.
If the epub is formatted correctly, then it will also show page#/of (like 2/8, etc) for your progress in the current chapter.
Haven't tried Mantano. I suppose maybe I should.
Interestingly, I never hear AReader ever mentioned in any of these kinds of lists and can't help but wonder why not.
I don't have a lot of experience with ebooks other than buying a few Kindle books, having quite a few .epub and .mobi books, and many .pdf files. AReader does it all for me. Anyone else have any critiques of this app?
As an aside, specifically for a PDF reader, I HIGHLY recommend ezPDF Reader for its speed and very well-implementer text-flow mode.
CoolReader. I got rid of the page turn effects and the page texture and set it up for cream on brown as night mode. The programmable tap zones rock. Also, I installed Fora Dictionary which Cool Reader can use for dictionary, Wikipedia, and translation. It does have a lot of settings so if you become familiar with them you can get it to do whatever you want and look however you want. I also like that it shows page numbers as well as a progress bar. It never tries to sell me anything. <3
I didn't like the pseudo-shelves all the other apps use to show my books. I have hundreds and that kind of highly graphical interface takes forever to find anything.
I honestly haven't area more than a few books on my hacked nook I can say that I have used the nook app,kindle app, and cool reader. In the past I have aldiko and moon reader as well. I really like the kindle and nook applications where cool reader seems to be my favorite 3rd party reader. That being said moon reader is a damned good reader as well. I haven't put too much thought into what would be the ideal reader for me, but this thread has given me food for thought.
My only issue with Cool Reader is that I could see a way to set up an OPDS database so that I could access my ebook collection online.
I manage the library with Calibre and generate an OPDS database on my Drobox with a program called Calibre2OPDS. Then I have access to my library via the Internet.
I can do this with Moon+, Aldiko, Mantano, and FBReader
davidr415 said:
My only issue with Cool Reader is that I could not see a way to set up an OPDS database so that I could access my ebook collection online.
I manage the library with Calibre and generate an OPDS database on my Drobox with a program called Calibre2OPDS. Then I have access to my library via the Internet.
I can do this with Moon+, Aldiko, Mantano, and FBReader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting idea, thanks!
I forgot to mention, you also have to have Dropbox as the location for your Calibre library...
Does Mantano has in built dictionary ?? After reading in iBook I am kinda addicted to in-app dictionary