Related
Background (skip if you just want the link):
I really like reading with my Nook Color (CM7) but I usually read at night and even with Cyanogen's red Night Mode, browsing the web to read is still way too bright. (looking at bright stuff while trying to set yourself up to go to sleep is a recipe for bad sleep quality). I tried looking for a browser that has a real night mode (aka invert colors so webpages default to dark background, white/gray text), but as far as I can tell, none exist. I installed a fork of Stylish/Greasemonkey ("Scriptish) that is compatible with Firefox Mobile, and tried to use some of the "dark" themes/scripts. But that wasn't really much better because every time I click a link to a new page, I get a huge bright white flash of light that lasts until Firefox Mobile has completely finished rendering the page (10 seconds+). I can read eBooks fine in the dark because FBReader has a good functional night mode and you can custom set the background and text colors.
Anyway, TLDR I just found a solution that's almost as good and perhaps even more useful in certain use cases. It's a Firefox extension/add-on called GrabMyBooks: grabmybooks.com
You can have GMB grab full webpages, links that you've right-clicked on, or selected text. You can do multiple pages at a time and each one will show up as an article (chapter). It'll stick these in a file, let you give it a title, a cover, etc, and then you can download an ePub with each page as a chapter. You can also do some basic editing within the browser/GMB, or save the ePub to your computer and edit in Sigil.
The best part is that for power users who regularly want to download articles from certain sites, you can create "Detection Rules" to automatically retrieve the content enclosed between two HTML tags that have a particular ID or class.
I'm planning to use this as an alternative/complement to ReadItLater (which I love, but it doesn't work with most sites that require logins)
I use Screen Filter to adjust the brightness.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.haxor&hl=en
I set my NC at 0% in android settings, then I apply a screen filter at 40% of that.
colorado_al said:
I use Screen Filter to adjust the brightness.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.haxor&hl=en
I set my NC at 0% in android settings, then I apply a screen filter at 40% of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that too but it's not good enough, it's still a white background even if it is dimmed.
colorado_al said:
I use Screen Filter to adjust the brightness.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.haxor&hl=en
I set my NC at 0% in android settings, then I apply a screen filter at 40% of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I hadn't heard of this
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
I've made a small low-res Youtube video showing how I customized my Nook reading experience:
- customization of hard buttons: R Page up - back, R Page down - menu, N button;
- "start scanner" functionality of Fora Dictionary, my fav Stardict app, which automaticly displays the meaning of a copied word;
- Aldiko with WP7 font, which I find the best for e-reading.
How is yours?
Thanks for the vid. I haven't used Aldiko in a while, having switched to CoolReader because of the screen refresh control.
However, I noticed in your video that Aldiko wasn't refreshing the screen on each page turn. What version of Aldiko are you running (and is it the paid version)?
Again, thanks for your insight as well as the video.
P.S.: I, too, like the Wp7 font's appearance. I went to download it from a thread on XDA, but noticed it didn't contain an italicized variant. Do you know where I could find a package that includes it?
Best Android non-PDF Reader Apps for NST:
1) AIReader:
Best only if optimized which takes a bit of time, do the following:
* set background colour white
* set font colour to black (if you like for night reading setup a 2nd profile: white font on black background)
* disable initial letter in each paragraph being highlighted
* remove any background texture pictures
use in landscape mode
choose font type and size you like
you can zoom in/out with finger pinch
Note: optimization can take half an hour or more but it's worth it as it can be the best reader for txt, epub & mobi files. I convert non illustrated pdf files to txt files, many apps/online sites convert them. AIReader is useless to me with it's default profile & theme & settings.
I set my bottom-left key to BACK action in nookTouch_ModManager. In AIReader settings you can set BACK key to whatever, eg: Next Page. If you want to un-assign it, it's difficult to see but scroll up to the top, you'll see option: None, if you want to use it as BACK again which is good to exit app/open another book etc. 9 areas on page can be assigned with tap/long tap anyway to whatever action.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neverland.alreader
change rotation from notifications, enable in settings:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.fameit.rotate
I use Pro version https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.fameit.rotate_license
also:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devasque.rotationlocker
2nd best) FBReader:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geometerplus.zlibrary.ui.android
3rd) Cool Reader:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.coolreader
Shared 3rd) certain old version of Mantano Reader Premium:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mantano.reader.android
4th) Moon+ Reader Pro:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreader
I use the Pro version https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreaderp
P.S. Added Mantano as joined 3rd
4th) Moon+ Reader:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreader
I use the Pro version https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreaderp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, just a question, how did you install the pro version? What kernel version and google apps do you have?
Thanks!
List & versions of my apps:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48931602&postcount=2
AIReader I installed from store. Now to your question. Some latest apps do not work on this device as we all know
Moon+ Reader Pro,1.3.14,com.flyersoft.moonreaderp
So what I do is find the highest previous version which works, that took a lot of time to test for each app.
Also the highest working Pro versions of:
Mantano Reader Premium Version 2.2.8
It's OK(ish).
Aldiko Premium Version 1.2.9
Not good really.
A couple of 2.x low versions installed & one ran only once.
FBReader for NST
wozhere said:
2nd best) FBReader:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We released FBReader "special edition" for NST today. It supports NST keys and NST screen fast update. I cannot post url's here (I have < 10 messages on the forum), just look for the latest (12th of Jan 2014) news on the fbreader.org site.
geometer said:
We released FBReader "special edition" for NST today. It supports NST keys and NST screen fast update. I cannot post url's here (I have < 10 messages on the forum), just look for the latest (12th of Jan 2014) news on the fbreader.org site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your good work. I convert my non-illustrated pdfs (most of my ebooks) to txt and read them on fbreader.
http://fbreader.org/content/fbreader-nook-simple-touch
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
.
My Current AIReader Preferences (Work in Progress):
As usual tapping 4 screen corners turns pages. Tapping screen's centre toggles showing full-screen vs. statusbar + bottom goodies.
I've enabled the 9 customizable bottom buttons to show. I've set them to the following functions:
Reduce & increase font size (pinching fingers also works superbly)
Next & previous page
Android home
Next & previous chapter
Recent files
Goto page/percent.
This is an epub file:
.
.
Easily switch 2 profiles from menu, I set one for day and another for night reading in bed:
.
Tap screen's centre to toggle showing full-screen view as in the 1st photo in this post. The arrow on right is Button_Savior app.
.
As said in OP, I change rotation ( portrait / landscape) with notifications (using mentioned app). Justification works better for some epub/mobi/txt files. BTW converting PDF files to RTF works better than simple txt.
You might easily spend an hour on customization of AIReader and not get it right. You can simply use the above settings I currently have, which is still changing. In system root files:
\data\data\com.neverland.alreader\shared_prefs
Replace your com.neverland.alreader_preferences.xml with the uploaded attachment. 10 seconds job with Total Commander.
AIreader settings for native Android devices, Replace your com.neverland.alreader_preferences.xml Attachment in:
\data\data\com.neverland.alreader\shared_prefs
As before switch between Night & Day reading modes in Menu: Next Profile
Current free apk available from play store also included.
.
Thanks for this thread. I installed the latest version of AIReader on my Nook STG. The latest version has a check box for "E-Ink Adaptation" under the "Main" Settings area. This means it took me way less than 30 minutes to configure to my liking. This is the first non-stock reader that I thought was really better than the stock B&N reader. I wish it would be able to read B&N content.
Alreader is indeed very good, so good that I have now installed it on my Nookhd+ as well. There is a sync option but I haven't been able to get it to work. Any idea how to do it?
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using Tapatalk 4
David0226 said:
This is the first non-stock reader that I thought was really better than the stock B&N reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not really a big fan of the stock reader, but what are your main complaints?
Renate NST said:
I'm not really a big fan of the stock reader, but what are your main complaints?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My one complaint regarding the stock reader is that it could use more font size and line spacing choices.
For most other readers it is that most of the ones I have tried do not even have the ability to read and use the css included in the epub. What the stock reader calls "publisher defaults". (NOTE: AIReader doesn't do this either, but its default "eink" settings just seem to format the book exactly as I would like to see it.) For me the ideal reader application would use the css included with the epub with the ability to override some specific settings as selected by the user. Most reader applications have way too many settings for me to attempt to mess with and settings that work on one epub don't work so well on another so I end up playing with the settings each time I change books. So, for me, the stock reader gives me the best, though not perfect, reading experience.
A couple of things to note about me. First, I am an IT professional (UNIX/Linux) and so am very comfortable making modifications to my rooted device. As such, I have been able to configure the fonts I like for the stock reader using adb shell. Second, I read books from many different sources, including B&N (I have to use the stock reader for those anyway). I have enough knowledge to modify formatting inside a DRM free epub, so if it looks weird in the stock reader, I just change the formatting.
There is a patch for better font sizes, see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43393044&highlight=nook121patch+zip#post43393044
You need to apktool d, mergesmali, apktool b and jarsigner.
Depending on your needs and how you do things you may need to resign your Nook's system.
There is stuff about resigning in the rest of that thread.
I've been making my own Nook reader which works on other devices too.
Right now it's more a proof of principle.
Still, it's good enough now that it's my only reader.
It's missing a lot of features still, but it has:
Portrait/Landscape/Auto modes
Epub variable font sizes, variable line spacing, variable margins.
Pdf variable overscan.
Can read library books.
Progress stripe at the bottom.
I think that it has better page turns than the stock reader, which is surprising.
Edit: Follow the thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2728769
I use Alreader's latest version and I find it very good except one detail. Although it has the settings to choose after how many pages to refresh the screen it always refreshes specially in fullscreen mode. In non-fullscreen it usually refreshes every two pages..
Has anyone managed to fix it?
On the Alreader forum, if you scroll down a bit on the first post, you'll see an Eink specific version of Alreader. Perhaps this will solve your problem: http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=340035
mobamoba said:
On the Alreader forum, if you scroll down a bit on the first post, you'll see an Eink specific version of Alreader. Perhaps this will solve your problem: http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=340035
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer, I installed this version and found out it has the same behaviour as play store's.
BUT I managed to find a workaround to make alreader refresh every some pages after playing with the settings. One wierd thing I discovered is that you must have buttons panel ON even on fullscreen..(otherwise it refreshes every page)
Also it refreshes on chapter change etc. You must play with the settings to find one that suit you..
I only get refresh, full screen or not, every five pages or so regardless of changing it in settings. E-ink should be off for night mode and more anyway. I will upload my settings xml which has chAnged tonight or over the weekend:
With Caliber I have converted many pdf or even mobi files to epub & txt. To get rid of quote texts having halo & shadow:
MENU: styles: cite (2nd) page: set contour to None & untick Shadow
Also some settings conflict if you set colors yourself AND non Text (code cite title) etc do hAve their own settings. For example a quote in night mode shows but in day mode is too light. I fixed all these.
Also downloaded some fonts. I'll upload them with my new settings xml for those interested to try. I have also tested a certain old version of Mantano Reader Premium and it should be in the top four list. Might do a short review and include it in the OP. However with good settings, AlReader is still the top predator.
The best for me is cool reader:
- nightmode
- dictionaries (I use colordict with it for double click)
- jumping links (long press for me) and the back button goes to previous place
- customise the eink refresh type and frequency
- i can set statusbar to very tiny
- etc...
I just like it But i think I haven't tried AIReader yet, so I'll try that too thanks
P.S. Added Mantano as joined 3rd in OP
##################################################
AlReader:
##################################################
I do get refresh on page turn, only not if turning quickly. Also if flipping through, only get it every 5 pages or so.
##################################################
To copy the settings xml file AND Fonts files to system, use the best file manager for Android:
Total Commander which is like the old NC file manager. Easy dual pane (landscape) transfer with Windows ftp etc. and easy atts management, editing etc. too. Automatically takes care of permissions with a simple OK button from you, quick connect to your Windows with LAN plugin, also has FTP plugin etc:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2574655
#################################################
settings I currently have, which is still changing. In system root files:
\data\data\com.neverland.alreader\shared_prefs
NOT data/data/ in SD-Card, but in System files Root!
Replace your file:
com.neverland.alreader_preferences.xml
with my uploaded attachment. 10 seconds job with Total Commander.
Backup your current one in case you want to revert.
File attached to this post.
#################################################
Note font settings etc differs for each profile. I have 2 here in my settings, day & night.
I set quotes in books (Cite) without shadow & contour (see my last post) AND not italic but in bold.
To install fonts, download fonts, with Total Commander copy new fonts to your font folder:
/system/fonts/
In system files root, easy with total Commander again.
REBOOT device to take effect.
download fonts:
http://uploaded.net/file/iefjg5st
#################################################
I use mainly font: APhont
But sometimes use: GilSans, Arial, Helvetica Med, Roboto, Segoe & Zegoe, etc. as seen in screenshots.
#################################################
bon chance.
On my Nook tablet... when I enlarged the web text it would automatically adjust so as to fit it all in the screen from side to side, no matter what size. There is a plus sign and minus sign at the lower right that would allow me to adjust the size of print.
On my Nook HD...I can enlarge the text but it doesn't fit it all on the screen so I have to scroll side to side to read the text.
When I talked to a Barnes and Noble employee, he suggested downloading the Dolphin app which would in turn let me make the adjustments.
Does anyone know how to make the adjustments without Dolphin?
Also this is for web reading and not for reading books as those have their own adjustments.
Thank-you
[APP] [NST/G][2.1+] E-ink Optimized Ebookdroid - excellent PDF CBZ FB2 DJVU reader -- Great for reading comics!
Here I am posting an amazing app tweaked by @nivieru a few years ago specifically for the Nook Simple Touch which is by far the best PDF reader I have found for this device. I have not messed with using it for CBZ, FB2, or DJVU formats, but I would assume it would perform just as well on those. I primarily use this app to read comics in PDF format. And I have found it to be more than great. I have tried other many other apps for reading PDF; the two runners up being: EzPDF Reader and AVP PDF Viewer.
My criteria for calling this a good PDF reading:
1. Auto-Cropping Pages: This app will automatically crop dead space out of the pages. This is crucial when reading comics in PDF. It is best to read on the NST in landscape, and this auto-crop feature allows you to maximize the use of the screen while not having to fiddle so much with some kind of scroll-lock. I can load my comics and go.
2. Better Contrast: Nivieru really set this up nicely. I downloaded the last installable version of ebookdroid, and without Nivieru's tweaks I found it to have huge potential but to be wanting in this department. The app has the ability to change contrast, brightness, and exposure. After a few hours of fiddling with it and getting it as best as I could get it, my results were sub-par. For example, AVP Viewer showed small text better then ebookdroid without Nivieru's tweaks. Now, it is superior to AVP Viewer in sharpness, crispness, contrast, and vibrancy. The text and images just pop right off the e-ink screen! Blacks are very black. Whites are white. There is no loss in the gradient of grayscales possible with Nivieru's tweaks to this app.
3. Very customizable taps/button usage on the app: One thing I found superior to AVP Viewer and EzPDF Reader was that I had more options to turn the page with buttons than simply programming the side buttons to be android volume buttons. I use the Right and Left Tap programming in Nook Simple Touch Mod Manager to turn pages on my epub reading app (@Renate NST's Temblast Reader--the best and simplest epub reader I've found).
With this app, you can program the pages to turn using these very same buttons by: 1. tapping the menu key 2. More-->Settings-->Configure taps. At this menu, simply tap the desired page button, tap the dropdown for Single Tap, then choose Scroll Forward and Scroll Back for the right and left button you wish to program for each respective action.
4. The Ability to Determine the scroll height for taps or button presses:
Access this by: 1. tapping the menu key 2. More-->Settings...-->All Settings-->Taps, swipes, and keys
You can determine how far that a tap (or button press) to scroll up or down will move the viewing area. I find this extremely useful when I want to use @nmyshkin's newly created IROff app which allows you to turn off the IR to save battery. I find that this combination of being able to effectively scroll up and down without touching the screen having the IR sensors turned off has significantly lowered the battery drain while reading PDF documents because the IR array isn't repetitively reading finger swipes to scroll the viewing region up or down.
This option is much more useful than the two other runner up PDF apps. APV PDF Viewer jumps an entire screen when you scroll with the buttons (this is very difficult to read comics without touching the screen). EzPDF Reader Jumps the viewing area a shorter distance, and is more easy to read with buttons only, however, in EzPDF Reader, there is no way to get rid of the task bar at the top of the screen which takes up valuable reading real-estate.
With this option in ebookdroid, you can easily read PDF documents with the IR turned completely off. Thanks again @nmyshkin.
@nivieru made the defaults of the app better than the original version of ebookdroid, which makes it more install and go rather than install, tweak for a few hours, and go. This app runs pdfs quickly and smoothly, and also it does not leave ghosting on the screen while reading comics.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this app, and am happy to share nivieru's app with the community here. I hope it is just as useful to you as I have found it to be.
Here are some pictures I took with my cellphone comparing the rendering of the same document to other PDF readers. I will say that I have NOT enhanced the photos in any way. If you notice there is a noticeable difference in contrast and clarity from the other three examples.
Un-tweaked "stock" ebookdroid app:
APV PDF Viewer:
EzPDF Reader:
And finally the featured app tweaked by @nivieru--notice the difference in contrast!:
Well done on all counts. May this app be used by all who wish to read comics on the Nook Simple Touch.
I've attached the apk file on this app as well as @nmyshkin's app to turn off the IR sensors for a super efficient PDF reader. This app disengages the touch screen but the touch screen will automatically re-engage when the Nook goes into deep sleep after being asleep for 10 seconds; if for some reason your nook can't go into deep sleep, do a hard reset by holding the power button for 15 seconds and turning back on.
For IRoff to function, you need to have these files that nmyshkin has provided (attached) in their proper locations:
/system/etc/permissions/com.google.android.maps.xml
/system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar
Set permissions for both files to rw-r--r-- and reboot. Without these files resident, the IRoff app will not function. They are attached.
Note: You do not need those files in place to run nivieru's ebookdroid.
Here is nivieru's github page that has the apk for download with the source code: https://github.com/nivieru/ebookdroid/releases
Thank you to the xda community and all who made the NST such a wonderful, affordable, efficient, and functional e-ink reader. I will not buy another one, maybe ever. Thanks so much.
Peace
Time for a second look
I'm going to take another look at this app. Maybe the first time around I just installed whatever Ebookdroid I could find that would work. I ended up settling on AVP (after ditching Orion Viewer) because I liked that in scrolling the image would stay in the screen frame instead of slopping around. I get that good behavior with Ebookdroid on my Nook Tablet, but it wasn't my experience on the NST. But maybe I missed a setting. I have used AVP to read PDF newspapers mostly. For comics (which I haven't looked at in awhile) I have used Perfect Viewer, but that was for CBR or CBZ files.
Anyway, I need to revisit Ebookdroid in this version and see how it behaves. Thanks for the info.
My pleasure. Thanks for all you have done as well.
You're absolutely right about the display with EBookDroid. It's much clearer and with excellent contrast compared to AVP. Unfortunately neither is very good at handling a large PDF file like a newspaper. I'm finding myself arriving at blank pages and waiting until something shows up. Maybe about the same for both there, and it might be that some of the more esoteric settings like "pages in memory" or similar will help. Have to experiment more. Tap zooming with EBD often gives no result until the page is moved a bit, or goes to a black screen--again perhaps a sign that the system is overloaded with a large file.
Do you know:
1. if there is a way to set the zoom %? On more current versions of EBD you can select the zoom % that occurs with a tap. I can't seem to locate that on this version.
2. what the [0%, 90% - 100%, 100%] and similar options are for on the Tap Configuration menu? There isn't anything like those on the current EBD
Edit: OK, so I have sort of answered my own questions when I installed the current market version on my KitKat device. On that version you can actually see the selections in the tap configuration screen. The default for the funny numerical thing was [0%, 0%, -100%, 100%] so I decided this was good enough for me and set the NST the same way.
As for the zoom settings, still nowhere to be seen, but much experimentation has led me to conclude that the only tap-zoom setting that works reliably and reasonably well is the "zoom to column"--at least for a newspaper or magazine for which it almost seems designed. The other options like "zoom" (does nothing but show the inoperative zoom toast at the bottom of the screen) and "quick zoom" (does nothing until the page is moved slightly and doesn't release after tapping until the page is moved a little again) result in either no effect or much delay.
Edit:Edit: Oh, LOL! Who would have suspected that the "zoom" toast at the bottom of the screen functioned with a swipe from right to left!!! So the "1.00x" at the left end is actually the setting at the far right, and as you swipe toward the left the zoom increases! Now this bears looking at further
nmyshkin said:
You're absolutely right about the display with EBookDroid. It's much clearer and with excellent contrast compared to AVP. Unfortunately neither is very good at handling a large PDF file like a newspaper. I'm finding myself arriving at blank pages and waiting until something shows up. Maybe about the same for both there, and it might be that some of the more esoteric settings like "pages in memory" or similar will help. Have to experiment more. Tap zooming with EBD often gives no result until the page is moved a bit, or goes to a black screen--again perhaps a sign that the system is overloaded with a large file.
Do you know:
1. if there is a way to set the zoom %? On more current versions of EBD you can select the zoom % that occurs with a tap. I can't seem to locate that on this version.
2. what the [0%, 90% - 100%, 100%] and similar options are for on the Tap Configuration menu? There isn't anything like those on the current EBD
Edit: OK, so I have sort of answered my own questions when I installed the current market version on my KitKat device. On that version you can actually see the selections in the tap configuration screen. The default for the funny numerical thing was [0%, 0%, -100%, 100%] so I decided this was good enough for me and set the NST the same way.
As for the zoom settings, still nowhere to be seen, but much experimentation has led me to conclude that the only tap-zoom setting that works reliably and reasonably well is the "zoom to column"--at least for a newspaper or magazine for which it almost seems designed. The other options like "zoom" (does nothing but show the inoperative zoom toast at the bottom of the screen) and "quick zoom" (does nothing until the page is moved slightly and doesn't release after tapping until the page is moved a little again) result in either no effect or much delay.
Edit:Edit: Oh, LOL! Who would have suspected that the "zoom" toast at the bottom of the screen functioned with a swipe from right to left!!! So the "1.00x" at the left end is actually the setting at the far right, and as you swipe toward the left the zoom increases! Now this bears looking at further
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you figured it out. Sorry I didn't notice that you had commented on this. It's definitely THE clearest comic reading app I have found. It also autocrops nicely. No need to re-zoom every time a file is opened.
ALinkToTao said:
[APP] [NST/G][2.1+] E-ink Optimized Ebookdroid - excellent PDF CBZ FB2 DJVU reader -- Great for reading comics!
Here I am posting an amazing app tweaked by @nivieru a few years ago specifically for the Nook Simple Touch which is by far the best PDF reader I have found for this device. I have not messed with using it for CBZ, FB2, or DJVU formats, but I would assume it would perform just as well on those. I primarily use this app to read comics in PDF format. And I have found it to be more than great. I have tried other many other apps for reading PDF; the two runners up being: EzPDF Reader and AVP PDF Viewer.
My criteria for calling this a good PDF reading:
1. Auto-Cropping Pages: This app will automatically crop dead space out of the pages. This is crucial when reading comics in PDF. It is best to read on the NST in landscape, and this auto-crop feature allows you to maximize the use of the screen while not having to fiddle so much with some kind of scroll-lock. I can load my comics and go.
2. Better Contrast: Nivieru really set this up nicely. I downloaded the last installable version of ebookdroid, and without Nivieru's tweaks I found it to have huge potential but to be wanting in this department. The app has the ability to change contrast, brightness, and exposure. After a few hours of fiddling with it and getting it as best as I could get it, my results were sub-par. For example, AVP Viewer showed small text better then ebookdroid without Nivieru's tweaks. Now, it is superior to AVP Viewer in sharpness, crispness, contrast, and vibrancy. The text and images just pop right off the e-ink screen! Blacks are very black. Whites are white. There is no loss in the gradient of grayscales possible with Nivieru's tweaks to this app.
3. Very customizable taps/button usage on the app: One thing I found superior to AVP Viewer and EzPDF Reader was that I had more options to turn the page with buttons than simply programming the side buttons to be android volume buttons. I use the Right and Left Tap programming in Nook Simple Touch Mod Manager to turn pages on my epub reading app (@Renate NST's Temblast Reader--the best and simplest epub reader I've found).
With this app, you can program the pages to turn using these very same buttons by: 1. tapping the menu key 2. More-->Settings-->Configure taps. At this menu, simply tap the desired page button, tap the dropdown for Single Tap, then choose Scroll Forward and Scroll Back for the right and left button you wish to program for each respective action.
4. The Ability to Determine the scroll height for taps or button presses:
Access this by: 1. tapping the menu key 2. More-->Settings...-->All Settings-->Taps, swipes, and keys
You can determine how far that a tap (or button press) to scroll up or down will move the viewing area. I find this extremely useful when I want to use @nmyshkin's newly created IROff app which allows you to turn off the IR to save battery. I find that this combination of being able to effectively scroll up and down without touching the screen having the IR sensors turned off has significantly lowered the battery drain while reading PDF documents because the IR array isn't repetitively reading finger swipes to scroll the viewing region up or down.
This option is much more useful than the two other runner up PDF apps. APV PDF Viewer jumps an entire screen when you scroll with the buttons (this is very difficult to read comics without touching the screen). EzPDF Reader Jumps the viewing area a shorter distance, and is more easy to read with buttons only, however, in EzPDF Reader, there is no way to get rid of the task bar at the top of the screen which takes up valuable reading real-estate.
With this option in ebookdroid, you can easily read PDF documents with the IR turned completely off. Thanks again @nmyshkin.
@nivieru made the defaults of the app better than the original version of ebookdroid, which makes it more install and go rather than install, tweak for a few hours, and go. This app runs pdfs quickly and smoothly, and also it does not leave ghosting on the screen while reading comics.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this app, and am happy to share nivieru's app with the community here. I hope it is just as useful to you as I have found it to be.
Here are some pictures I took with my cellphone comparing the rendering of the same document to other PDF readers. I will say that I have NOT enhanced the photos in any way. If you notice there is a noticeable difference in contrast and clarity from the other three examples.
Un-tweaked "stock" ebookdroid app:
APV PDF Viewer:
EzPDF Reader:
And finally the featured app tweaked by @nivieru--notice the difference in contrast!:
Well done on all counts. May this app be used by all who wish to read comics on the Nook Simple Touch.
I've attached the apk file on this app as well as @nmyshkin's app to turn off the IR sensors for a super efficient PDF reader. This app disengages the touch screen but the touch screen will automatically re-engage when the Nook goes into deep sleep after being asleep for 10 seconds; if for some reason your nook can't go into deep sleep, do a hard reset by holding the power button for 15 seconds and turning back on.
For IRoff to function, you need to have these files that nmyshkin has provided (attached) in their proper locations:
/system/etc/permissions/com.google.android.maps.xml
/system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar
Set permissions for both files to rw-r--r-- and reboot. Without these files resident, the IRoff app will not function. They are attached.
Note: You do not need those files in place to run nivieru's ebookdroid.
Here is nivieru's github page that has the apk for download with the source code: https://github.com/nivieru/ebookdroid/releases
Thank you to the xda community and all who made the NST such a wonderful, affordable, efficient, and functional e-ink reader. I will not buy another one, maybe ever. Thanks so much.
Peace
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Bumping this thread up, as it deserves to be noticed. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for the files you attached (thanks to @nmyshkin for his contributions.) I have found eBookDroid the few days I have been using it to be a superb PDF and DJVU reader. I tested CBZ (comic) files too and it seems equally good. This is now my app of choice to read PDF and DJVU books. I use FBReader for EPUB and MOBI books.
I was hoping to have FBReader's PDF and DJVU plugins work on the Nook Simple Touch, but I was getting a Parse Error when trying to install, so I suppose they are not compatible with Android 2.1. However, eBookDroid more than makes up for that problem. A great reader!
My pleasure. I'm glad you are enjoying it.