PDF Reader that Allows Making/Saving Highlights and Annotations - Nook Color General

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

Related

[Q] Alternative eReader app ?

I was wondering if there was some other eReader out there that I could install on my rooted NC. The one that comes with the NC is pretty basic I was also hoping that I could find one that has text-to-voice.
Any advice ?
The only one I know that can do text to voice is called Wordplayer but it's a pretty clunky app.
You can try Moon Reader which is pretty good and has a fancy 3d page turning affect.
But my ultimate recommendation is to stick to the build in app since no other app will have access to B&N purchased stuff. And if you don't use B&N, you should return your nook.
Pinesal said:
And if you don't use B&N, you should return your nook.
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Thanks for the recommendations I will look those apps up. I would never return my NC. Even tho I don't use the B&N store I have 100's of books that are ePub and work perfectly well on my Nook. B&N is not the only source for books.
Cheers
FBReader is what I use.. I didn't like Moon+ because it's WAY too easy to flick when I want to turn; and I don't like flicking to scroll personally.. I like to just tap and let it change the page..
I've found the B&N Book app is slow as balls, has anyone else noticed that? I have some epub's that load fine on my computer, Moon+, FBReader... but they take 2+ minutes to open in the B&N reader app.
I'll just keep using FBReader. If I actually have some B&N books (buy or borrow from wife) I'll use the built-in but otherwise.. Oh, and for night reading, I like white on BLACK with the brightness down, TYVM. No more white on grey.
FYI, this is how I set up FBReader:
First off, you gotta have Softkeys working so you can hit the menu button as the notification/status bar is hidden by default. I personally set the Softkeys tool to Double-click home button and launch Softkeys, works pretty well when I need to access it.
So then hit the Menu, pick the More option, then the Settings option. Fiirst thing I do is to make it easier to get to settings and such, I go into Appearance and check Show status bar. Then in the Scrolling options, I uncheck everything. That makes it scroll on tap, and scrolls "up down", ie: you tap the bottom half of the screen anywhere, and it scrolls down. top half anyway, scrolls up. If you like the left/right (like the Nook app does), leave the "Horizontal Scrolling" option checked.
As for book locations, you guys might have a place you put them.. I left it /sdcard/Books and just put my epubs there for now. I might revise this later so the Nook app and FBReader are looking in the same place.
Pinesal said:
And if you don't use B&N, you should return your nook.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for telling us how to use our stuff.
Thibor69 said:
Thanks for the recommendations I will look those apps up. I would never return my NC. Even tho I don't use the B&N store I have 100's of books that are ePub and work perfectly well on my Nook. B&N is not the only source for books.
Cheers
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Click to collapse
Well, of you have a source of free ebooks then that's cool. But if you are buying books, B&N should be your first stop. They built the awesome tablet and some suspect that he hardware is subsidized by book sales. Just a recommendation. I mean if you can find book cheaper somewhere else, I guess the choice is obvious.
Thibor69 said:
Thanks for the recommendations I will look those apps up. I would never return my NC. Even tho I don't use the B&N store I have 100's of books that are ePub and work perfectly well on my Nook. B&N is not the only source for books.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget using the B&N store. If your going to buy a book i'd recommend Amazon solely based on their whispersync.
As far as ereaders apps, i have tried most of them. FYI the smoothest browser i've found so far has been Opera 10. With skyfire being second and dolphin HD third although its pretty slow. My current favorites ereaders are Aldiko, and the Amazon Kindle reader. Both run much smoother on the nook than the stock app.
Aldiko: It will read several different types and will allow you to import epub files directly which is great if your have a lot of epub books. I like the layout of the books a little bit better than fbreader but thats a personal preferance. Fb reader has a lot of the same features. They both allow you to change the brighness of the screen on the fly but sliding your finger vertically along the left side of the page. I think thats a great feature that i wish more apps would incoporate.
Amazon Kindle:
I use this a little bit differently. If you have an account with them it allows you to use their whispersync. This basically syncs up the page number you are on across different devices, this works for books you already have not just ones you buy from them. This allows me to read things on my nook and on my phone without having to chase down my current position in the book on each device. I also like that it offers a sepia background option.
Importing books you already have or books from other sources is a little more involved with the kindle app. I use a free program called calibre to convert my ebooks, any format, to a .mobi format. Then you have to copy them onto the sd card of each device you want to read them on. Dropbox is your friend with this.
If you buy the book off amazon you don't have to go through this as you can just download them from amazon. But i'm not one to buy books really so i have to go through all the steps.
Anyway good luck, this post got long quickly.
A side note, sightly off topic: The NC can view any epub or txt file uploaded to your SD card., so even if you don't get your material from B&N you can still use the NC very well.
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/nook/3902-side-loading-books-not-buying-frm-b-n.html#post22438
Aldiko is my personal favorite. (epub format)

[Q] Robust PDF Reader Please

I've taken in creating PDFs of my school textbooks from the eBooks I purchase from the publisher. It simply more convenient to carry my GTab with four or five textbooks, rather than the books themselves. Unfortunately, the PDF reader supplied by Adobe really basically sucks. Specifically, there doesn't seem to be a way to go to specific pages, expect by a slider bar (rather than typing a page), and worse still, does allow the use of bookmarks and chapter labels that I put in the book.
Can anyone recommend a PDF reader that works well on the GTab, that allows me to directly reference page numbers, bookmarks, chapters, search functions, etc.? Free is better than not, but I'll don't mind paying for an actually useful app.
Please help.
hellsreach said:
I've taken in creating PDFs of my school textbooks from the eBooks I purchase from the publisher. It simply more convenient to carry my GTab with four or five textbooks, rather than the books themselves. Unfortunately, the PDF reader supplied by Adobe really basically sucks. Specifically, there doesn't seem to be a way to go to specific pages, expect by a slider bar (rather than typing a page), and worse still, does allow the use of bookmarks and chapter labels that I put in the book.
Can anyone recommend a PDF reader that works well on the GTab, that allows me to directly reference page numbers, bookmarks, chapters, search functions, etc.? Free is better than not, but I'll don't mind paying for an actually useful app.
Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try ezPDF Reader. Has bookmark, search, and slider bar. It's not perfect, but works pretty well overall.
Nathan
Ezpdf reader works great on vegan 5
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I'm liking Ezpdf and Aldiko 2.0 (Aldiko Premium)
WickedStyx said:
I'm liking Ezpdf and Aldiko 2.0 (Aldiko Premium)
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Click to collapse
Aldiko 2.0? That hasnt been released yet has it? They said 2.0 will have PDF support and I signed up to receive the alert, but I didnt get one yet.
You have it?
I use my g tab for the exact same purposes. Am in university and the new semester starts on Monday in this part of the globe.
Just bought repligo for 2.99. USD today. Very happy - does highlighting and bookmarks and notes for my notes and etextbooks.
(Btw I'm in Singapore (not a part of China xD ) - got a friend to bring it back for me last month, probably the first in Asia to have the g tab?)
cscotty said:
Aldiko 2.0? That hasnt been released yet has it? They said 2.0 will have PDF support and I signed up to receive the alert, but I didnt get one yet.
You have it?
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Aldiko Premium on the market is version 2.0: http://www.appbrain.com/app/aldiko-book-reader-premium/com.android.aldiko
I assume the free version will be updated to 2.0 eventually.
What's wrong with Acrobat Reader X? It's Robust, does searching, supported by Adobe, available free...
Just go to Adobe.com, get Acrobat reader, pick "other operating system" and select Android. Works great on every build and kernel I've tried so far.

What is best ereader?

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).
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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

Alternate Library App?

I recently got my NST and I simply love it. So much lighter and easier to carry than my Nook Color... So my question is: is there an alternate library app available? Something that has a bookshelf display like the B&N app, but can launch any ereader program I specify? Reason being, Fbreader is my reading app of choice, but it does not show up as a launch option from the B&N library. But when I launch epubs from something like ES file manager, the option to use Fbreader pops up. I would love to be able to select my book from a bookshelf and launch into Fbreader if possible... any advice would be great!
I use cool reader and I am asked to choose a reader when opening a book from B&N library. Are you sure that you didn't set the stock reader as default previously?
There are a few in development, such as EpubBrowser and eBookLauncher. Both have their own problems, some are just features that have yet to be implemented, others are severe and cause the screen to flash continuously even in the screen saver. I'm thinking the eBookLauncher will go farther though.
cceerrtt said:
I use cool reader and I am asked to choose a reader when opening a book from B&N library. Are you sure that you didn't set the stock reader as default previously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the same experience with cool reader, but for some reason I don't like the font quality. It doesn't look really sharp like real type to me. Also, it seemed to add big line spaces between paragraphs on some of the books I was reading. I have Fbreader, cool reader, mantano reader currently loaded, but fbreader does not show up as a choice when I launch from the B&N bookshelf.
Googie2149 said:
There are a few in development, such as EpubBrowser and eBookLauncher. Both have their own problems, some are just features that have yet to be implemented, others are severe and cause the screen to flash continuously even in the screen saver. I'm thinking the eBookLauncher will go farther though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I like these too, the issue is that I am really happy with the customizations I made with my go launcher setup, I really just want a library bookshelf like the B&N one....
Personally I think that the native Reader.apk is just fine.
This thread started about alternative libraries.
I have a Library.apk replacement that I've been working on.
It probably only suits me, though.
I don't keep a lot of books on my Nook, just a handful.
I don't use bookshelves.
I don't care for cover thumbnails since they are not supplied with many books.
I do care about lending expiration dates for books from my library. It shows those.
How many books do you folks keep on your Nooks?
Renate NST said:
How many books do you folks keep on your Nooks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anywhere between 3 and 15 at a time. Not many, and most I'm never going to read, I just keep them there because I 'want' to read them.
Hi, i find standard library.apk almost perfect too, but i wish a way to incorporate the calibre description for sideload books like those purchased trough B&N site
someone has succeded?
rawos said:
Hi, i find standard library.apk almost perfect too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I hate Library.apk. It's Reader.apk that I can live with.
It's Shop.apk that show you the info on books.
It's responsible for that really lame screen when you hit "More" on the Reader screen.
That's the one where it can only tell you the local file path of the book that you're reading.
This is through my own Library.apk, which replaces Home.apk and Shop.apk also.
You can either long click on a book in the search list or hit "More" in Reader.
Since I play it straight with library books, I like to know when they expire.
Just to show you all the stuff going on under the hood.
Here is a diagram of all the intents used in Home/Library/Reader/Shop.
Oh! It reduced it to nothing, even when you click on it.
The full version (3000 x 1250 pixels) is attached as a zip.
Here's a better version of the intents of the B&N reader stuff.
derelict said:
I've had the same experience with cool reader, but for some reason I don't like the font quality. It doesn't look really sharp like real type to me. Also, it seemed to add big line spaces between paragraphs on some of the books I was reading. I have Fbreader, cool reader, mantano reader currently loaded, but fbreader does not show up as a choice when I launch from the B&N bookshelf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested quite a number of apps and I really like that Cool Reader has an incredible amount of options to configure how it looks. In the image you can see how I configured it, totally minimally.
Cool Reader does a great job of reflowing the text with justification, hanging punctuation, hyphenation, kerning... I have not found any other app that could do this. The photo is what Cool Reader made from a simple textfile. And it even supports the buttons of the NST without any hacking.
But as you said, the rendering quality of the font is not that great. You can add custom fonts, on the photo it is the Windows version of Garamond (strangely, Adobe Garamond Pro looks significantly worse).
For the moment I am sticking with the default reader app and use it on PDFs that I prepared manually on my PC. That way I get really good type (using Garamond Pro). But of course that is more work.
Was liest du?
Renate NST said:
Was liest du?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafka_on_the_shore
Renate NST said:
Personally I think that the native Reader.apk is just fine.
This thread started about alternative libraries.
I have a Library.apk replacement that I've been working on.
It probably only suits me, though.
I don't keep a lot of books on my Nook, just a handful.
I don't use bookshelves.
I don't care for cover thumbnails since they are not supplied with many books.
I do care about lending expiration dates for books from my library. It shows those.
How many books do you folks keep on your Nooks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... newby here. I love my nook touch glow, but i hate the library, i wish i can see more info, (series, autor, genre), any sugestions? pretty please?
Well, my app is just a boring list of books, about 15/page, sortable a couple of ways.
A long press brings up some metadata, including when the library book expires.
I've never run into series, so it doesn't do that.
I've modified Reader.apk so that it uses the "Back" button, handy for returning directly to the library.
After seeing the screenshots of some of the nice graphical libraries folks have produced, I'm loath to oversell my app.
It's really quite minimal.
Renate NST said:
Well, my app is just a boring list of books, about 15/page, sortable a couple of ways.
A long press brings up some metadata, including when the library book expires.
I've never run into series, so it doesn't do that.
I've modified Reader.apk so that it uses the "Back" button, handy for returning directly to the library.
After seeing the screenshots of some of the nice graphical libraries folks have produced, I'm loath to oversell my app.
It's really quite minimal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. You are so kind. Since I dont know almost anything about android progamming, (and english isnt my first languaje) I hoping you can help me (or point me somwhere) to do this. I tried to remap the buttons but when i did replace the android.policy.jar i bricked my nook (glow) so i had to restore it.
I also wish i could have a quick way to navigate the library, (like lists) or something because a i like to read 3 or 4 books at the same time.
Any Ideas? I tried relaunch but its to slow...
Anyway, Im rambling.... thanks!
A quick response:
Yes, the android.policy.jar is incompatible between the Touch and the Glow.
I use edited smali which causes the "n" button to go directly to the launcher.
With that, the QuickNav, the buttons at the bottom never appear.
I think that you need the QuickNav to turn on the glow, correct?
Renate NST said:
A quick response:
Yes, the android.policy.jar is incompatible between the Touch and the Glow.
I use edited smali which causes the "n" button to go directly to the launcher.
With that, the QuickNav, the buttons at the bottom never appear.
I think that you need the QuickNav to turn on the glow, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, well the n button also turns off/on the light, but i would like anyway to put shortcuts ther for another apps, like cool reader, because the way i have it its just to much fuss to change readers!!! any suggestions!!!
I like the look and feel of the standard library app, but I hate the way you have to search through it. I have all my metadata set up but you can't access it. FBreader does allow the reading of tags, but I'm not sure if I like the gui yet.
Which apps support metadata?

A new reader app

There are any number of things that annoy me about the stock B&N reader.
I've been writing my own reader app from the ground up.
It's missing a lot of features, but it's still become my standard reader.
I have a lot of technical references in PDF.
At least my reader will allow me to see them in landscape mode fit to width.
The app has adjustable overscan to get rid of the paper margins.
For EPUBs, there are 17 font sizes, 30 margin sizes, 21 line spacings.
EPUBs or PDFs can be viewed in either orientation.
The app is eInk smart but runs on standard cell phones too.
I assume that you plan on making this app available to the community at some point. When you are ready for other users to test, I would be glad to volunteer.
Yes, as soon as I get rid of the worst bugs, I'll let this loose.
It doesn't have text search or word lookup or annotations or bookmarks.
From MY perspective, bookmarks would be priority #1, followed by dictionary look up. I have never used annotations or word search, though I am sure others have.
Just my $0.02. Other's opinions will vary.
From MY perspective, dictionary look up would be priority #1, and never bookmarks, as I am Russian speaking person. I have never used annotations or word search.
Just my $0.02. Good luck in your efforts.
I'm still working on this.
One of the things I found most lacking was good navigation on large PDFs.
It can get a bit hairy dealing with the table of contents on some PDFs.
Sometimes a page number is more specific than a TOC entry and sometimes it's the other way around.
Will you be supporting mobi files as well ?
It seems it's hard to find a nice reader that support both epub and mobi ...
No, it will not read MOBI.
MOBI is a really stupid format based on database files for Palm OS.
EPUB is a halfway reasonable format.
HTML based reflowable text and a table of contents.
What more do you need?
Of course, all the manufacturers (like Kindle) are pushing for whiz-bang HTML5 formats.
Renate NST said:
No, it will not read MOBI.
MOBI is a really stupid format based on database files for Palm OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I really liked Palm
just kidding, nostalgia kicked in
2) I already have some books in MOBI format, that's why I'm asking.
Yes, I know I can convert them to EPUB ...
Thanks!
Finally ready for a super pre-alpha preview.
Very short user manual:
Hit the right screen edge or PAGEDOWN for forward a whole page
Hit the left screen edge or PAGEUP for backward a whole page
Hit the top screen edge for the navigation menu
Hit the bottom screen edge for table of contents view
Hit the middle of the screen when viewing PDFs to go down a chunk of one page
(These 4 edges are actually the edges of the page view.
When the TOC is showing, the left edge will be somewhere in the middle of the screen.)
There are separate config dialogs for EPUB and PDF.
In TOC view, the +/- are indicators and not controls.
The app tries to keep everything as compact as possible.
TOC scrolls with a drag, selects with a push on a chapter title, dismisses with a bottom push in the page side.
You can call up navigate, page forwards and backwards while the TOC is showing.
A single empty square and the title indicates that the PDF has no TOC.
The eInk special handling only works with 1.2.1 software.
If you are using nofresh/fast refresh/whatever, then no guarantee nor interest in what it will do.
It may be self-delusion, but it seems to me that the text is clearer than the stock reader?
You can just install this as a regular app.
You can set it as default for EPUB or PDF separately.
Unless you're me, you shouldn't get rid of the stock reader just yet. :cyclops:
Hmm, I'm not sure if it will handle Last Reading Point correctly if you are using the stock library.
Oh! It will list all the fonts on your system, but it won't handle the fonts that the underlying library files don't like.
Renate NST said:
Unless you're me, you shouldn't get rid of the stock reader just yet. :cyclops:
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First problem: On my nook it didn't show up in adw so I can't run it
richardcoop said:
On my nook it didn't show up in adw...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it wouldn't, would it?
The stock reader doesn't show up there either.
For an application to show up in a launcher its AndroidManifest.xml would have to have:
Code:
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
File viewers normally don't have that, they are invoked by other intents.
Use your "Last Read" icon, a library application or a file manager to open an EPUB or a PDF.
Renate NST said:
Finally ready for a super pre-alpha preview.
I
It may be self-delusion, but it seems to me that the text is clearer than the stock reader?
You can just install this as a regular app.
You can set it as default for EPUB or PDF separately.
Hmm, I'm not sure if it will handle Last Reading Point correctly if you are using the stock library.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think the text is clearer!
Doesn't remember the Last Reading Point for me but not using the stock library.
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 PM ----------
Also, looses my place when the screen saver kicks in.
Thanks for the good work Renate. I think the display is better than other epub/pdf readers and maybe stock reader too. As most of my reading is done with my Glow version in bed, a "Night Mode" switch for white font on black background would be great if possible?
Thanks again.
richardcoop said:
Also, loses my place when the screen saver kicks in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the integration between a reader app and a library app is close.
Tracking of last point is usually done in the library app.
I was planning on adding a single LRP directly in the reader for files that aren't tracked in the library.
Is it possible to run this on an Android 2.3.4 installation or its code assumes a Nook?
The reason I ask, is because I have a Kobo Glo with android installed, and I would like to check it there, if it is e-Ink optimized.
The problem with supporting eInk is that the interface classes in Java are all different.
Even in the Nook 1.1, 1.1.5. 1.3 are incompatible with 1.2.1
(Notice that the latest 1.3 on the white Nook uses an older scheme than the 1.2.1)
They all use android.hardware.EpdController in /system/framework/framework.jar
I have no idea what the Kobo is using.
I can guarantee that the application posted above will do no special eInk handling as it checks the system build fingerprint for compatibility.
If you are using Nook 1.1.5 or 1.3 it will also not do any special eInk handling.
The application should work on any device if you copy over these two library files:
/system/lib/libpdfhost.so
/system/lib/libbndeviceinfo.so
I have this app running on my (old) Kyocera Rise (cell phone).
It should run (without any special eInk handling) on your Kobo.
Anything further would require research and programming.
Renate NST said:
Hmm, I'm not sure if it will handle Last Reading Point correctly if you are using the stock library.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not handle Last Reading Point correctly when using the stock library.
Great work! I used this for all of 10 minutes and the potential is evident. With some more of your excellent development work you will have a real winner on your hands.
Question, as this obviously will not read books with B&N DRM, is there some way to make this reader the default when using your library app and allow the stock reader to be the default when using the stock library? Perhaps a setting in your library app to use either the "device default" (stock or other) reader or Temblast Reader specifically when a book is selected.
With regard to the text being clearer than the stock reader, I don't notice a difference. However, I am using the Tweaked Modded ROM, which states:
"Forced all rendering to be done on the GPU." I noticed the text was darker using this ROM when I first installed it. Perhaps your reader essentially does the same thing? This might account for the those who notice the text being clearer when using your reader.
David0226 said:
"Forced all rendering to be done on the GPU."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, that's not what I explicitly did, but maybe it's effectively what I did.
Font display doesn't seem as good as stock reader upon closer inspection.
For PDF reader I still use two particular versions of Repligo and ezPDF-Reader both: fast, full of options and pinch in-out for zoom on txt/image based files and more, opening all pdfs.
The epub reader is suffering on some files with wrapping longer lines so I get remainder lines with two or three words, unless fonts are much smaller even with little margins so back to AlReader and FBReader I'm afraid.

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