Related
I've gotten totally disgusted with the B&N Reader program.
When I first got the phone and loaded the reader it immediately downloaded a .cab to the root and performed an upgrade. Great, I think, this is an app that's currently being supported and I had high hopes.
Upon running it though I found out what a piece of %^&* it really is. It forces a sync to B&N every time you load it! To make matters worse it takes longer and longer each time you add a book, because it has to transfer more and more data! It only supports .epub even though several of the books I owned came down in .pdb format (although that has stopped, I am able to read those few in .pdb format using the eReader.com reader, it seemed perfectly fine with them including the encryption coding using the credit card.
Anyway, what I have found about the B&N Reader is that if you try to do ANYTHING while it is busy it will corrupt your SYSTEM and never run again. So, say you open the reader and are a bit forgetful, and forget for the original Syncing library to finish, open a book, you get "Open failed" and it will then NEVER EVER open a book, old or new. The only way around this is a hard reset back to factory settings, or as I have Sprite Backup, a restore to a prior backup.
Also, if you are reading a book and change some of the text settings, font, spacing, or margins, forgetaboutit, you are toast and must do a restore.
If you download a book and try to do anything, open another book, exit, or whatever, while it is downloading, you get to do a restore.
This thing looks like it was written by a third grader (apologies if you are in Elementary School), and I am so disappointed in it you would not believe. We need to put BIG pressure on B&N to fix this piece of junk.
My guess is that they were in development with it and when M$ announced WP7 would replace WM6.5 they stopped and released it where it was. There may have been a few more upgrades that they slipped in to that .cab it upgraded with (which happens to be the same one that's on their web site), so for now we are stuck at 1.0.0.27.
Anyone got any ideas?
Marc
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your e-mail.
We are always eager to provide information on our services and the
selections we offer online. However, the questions you have posed are
beyond the scope of the information that we provide to the general
public. The information you are seeking may be proprietary. Therefore,
we are unable to answer your questions.
We regret any disappointment this may cause, and wish you well in your
endeavors.
Sincerely,
Nolan
Customer Service Representative
Barnes and Noble
http://www.bn.com/
Original Message Follows:
------------------------
I have a T-Mobile HD2 which comes with the B&N eReader software. This
was one of the reasons I bought the HD2 as I have had Windows Mobile for
12+ years and used your eReader.com company's eReader for many, many
years. I have over 150 books on it.
So when I got my HD2 upon starting your reader it immediately downloaded
an update and installed it. Great, I think, this is a supported
platform and they are keeping it up to date! I bought several books and
sync'd my library. The books came down and I was able to read them.
Then I bought a few more books and during one of the downloads I
accidentally hit the X button and closed the application and all heck
broke loose. When I restarted the application it would no longer sync
with B&N and also would not open any of the existing books on my system.
The message in light grey text in the middle of the screen is something
like "Open failed". At that point I tried logging out of the
application, it told me this would reset the application to "Factory
Settings" and I accepted, thinking I could just re-download my books.
Wrong. Upon logging on again I had the same problem Syncing my library
and no books would download.
So I'm a Sysadmin and know to back up my systems. Fortunately I had
done a Sprite backup a few weeks back and used it to get the system
fully restored and the reader working again. I found several other
scenarios that cause my reader to corrupt the library to the point that
it is unusable. Some are:
1. Trying to read a book while downloading another.
2. Closing the reader while downloading a book.
3. Changing ANY of the font or line spacing settings.
4. Locking the screen on my phone (Red hangup button locks the screen)
while the reader application is open.
Essentially this application is junk. It appears to have been written
by a third grader and your Quality Assurance group should be ashamed.
When I first had these problems the first few books I purchased I found
that if I got on the web page I was able to download the books directly,
and that they came down in .pdb format, which worked perfectly on my
eReader.com (a B&N company!) reader. I was a happy camper, I'd been
using this reader for years and love it, even helped Beta Test new
versions for several years when it was under development. Unfortunately
you seem to have plugged that backdoor and all the books I have now
download in .epub format and I am stuck using your horrible HD2 reader.
Please help me out here. I am thinking in terms of (1) Helping you Beta
Test new versions for free, (2) If you have stopped development of the
Windows Mobile version, possibly a LARGE discount (say 100%) off of a
Nook or other reader, or (3) Give us the specs for your .epub format
extensions UNDER NON-DISCLOSURE so we can write a decent reader for you.
I am thinking in terms of a public domain program.
I'd bee more than happy to discuss all this with someone in a position
to make a decision. I spent 2 hours on the phone with one of your call
center drones and all he could recommend was that I take the phone to
T-Mobile and ask them to reload the softare
BTW, I am a 54 year old Software Engineer at NASA with 35 years of
Software Development, System Engineering and Software Quality Assurance
experience.
Thanks for your consideration,
Marc Newman
mknewman said:
(3) Give us the specs for your .epub format
extensions UNDER NON-DISCLOSURE so we can write a decent reader for you.
I am thinking in terms of a public domain program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I could adapt Freda (see http://www.turnipsoft.co.uk/freda , and discussion threads elsewhere on these forums) to read B&N Epubs in about ten minutes work, because the EPUB DRM mechanism is not especially complicated.
But unless the DRM-decoder software is written with the permission of the book publisher (B&N in this case), it consititutes infringement of the DMCA and similar pieces of toxic legislation around the world.
The software could be free (indeed, Freda is free). But it couldn't be public domain (in the sense of open source) because if you publish B&N's DRM-decoding algorithm, you are effectively publishing the recipe for how to rip off B&N books - so the code has to be developed under NDA.
If you do get a useful answer out of B&N, please let me know because I'd be keen to work on the project.
Letter writing campaign
I highly suggest anyone interested write B&N Customer Support and request support for their Windows Mobile reader.
Marc
Anyone else notice this new video of what appears to be a new B&N eReader on the T-Mo site: http://htchd2.t-mobile.com/touch-screen-phones-ereader
Have you tried the Kobo Books Reader app? It appears only in the Navigation Tabs, not the Start Screen.
kobobooks.com
That won't help me read books I've bought from B&N.
mknewman said:
Anyone else notice this new video of what appears to be a new B&N eReader on the T-Mo site: http://htchd2.t-mobile.com/touch-screen-phones-ereader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I load up my BN reader and go to Settings --> About, I have version 1.0.0.27. There is also a Check for New Version link there that tells me there are no new updates.
The website vid likely just gussied up the splash screen. Nothing else looked different to me.
If you look carefully at the video the settings page is quite diffeerent, there are many new options, and new settings. Oh, and yes I am running the latest version, 1.0.0.27 that gets downloaded the first time you run it from a new ROM.
if there is a new version they need to release it. the version out there royally sucks.
My kids and I spend a small fortune at the local brick and mortar store, so much that everyone there knows us by name and the store manager will let my teen daughter run a tab if needed ( not a good thing for dad). They will lose all of my business over this junky reader. I bought the HD2 expressly for Ereader.
Wonder how long we have to wait for a kindle app ?
B&N Support No Help - I Installed eReader
Like Mark, I saw that the B&N reader was crippled and would show only ePub formatted books I had bought from the B&N website. My e-mails to the B&N staff basically told me to go to the phone company (T-Mobile). B&N clearly has no plans to support this product. There is no B&N reader for Windows Mobile on the B&N ebook website (althought there may be when WinPhone7 comes out).
Interestingly, the latest B&N/Nook reader on my desktop will recognize my HD2. It will let me supposedly sync and copy books from my desktop to the HD2. In fact, the books do get copied, but the reader will not recognize them. I assume this functionality is intended more for Android phones and the iPhone, which do have working B&N readers.
I still had an old version of the eReaderPro program (3.0.3fp Oct. 2007). I was able to install it. It works fine. I do have to unlock the books again after copying them to the HD2. Of course, this version will not run the newer ePub books, so I have to have two programs to access all my eReader and B&N books. I can live with that. But when Barnes & Noble sent me an e-mail offering me a free book because I had not bought one in a while, I didn't even bother.
There is a newer version of the B&N eReader that is far better, not perfect but definately usable. It should download the next time you run it or you can go to the About page and get it there. It's still not listed on the B&N site but I posted the link for it in another post.
Edit: Found it http://images.barnesandnoble.com/PResources/download/WinMo/BNeReader_1.1.0.22.CAB
Marc
I have spoken with BN support and they state that they do not support this app, but HTC should.
I spoke with HTC and they told be BN rep was crazy.
The only way I can sideload books is to translate them into the appropriate format (I use Callibre and choose the .epub format specific to the "nook")
Then I download one of the free books (dracula).
Then go into the root directory under program files/BN eReader and you will see a bunch of numbers. If you rename one of these with an added character, put your book in this directory, change the name of your book to the number corresponding to the downloaded book...you will find your book in the list of books you can read, but it will be named "Dracula" with the cover for Dracula.
If you want to change the cover you can drop a JPEG of the cover into the directory Temp/BNImages and do the same thing with the naming convention.
It is a decent little reader, but very unfriendly and a lot of work.
I have not used it for downloaded books from BN, but I would hope that is easier.
Try the new version, it's far better.
I thought I had the latest version.
what is the latest build number?
1.10.22...that is what I have.
I would like to pare down my Nook a bit.
I do like the native reader app and I borrow library books.
Yes, I could use the OverDrive reader, but the native reader is much better.
The first thing that went was Shop.apk
It was kind of annoying to search for stuff on my Nook and come up with 50,000 suggestions of books that I could buy.
Social.apk seems to go away painlessly too.
Deleting (or renaming) Home.apk breaks the "Last Read" icon on the desktop.
You can still get there by Library and hitting the top of most recent.
It gets you to the right page.
It probably would not be hard to write an app to do the last read function.
Moreover, you'd have a system icon to do with what you will.
(It sends an intent that is not handled. I'll have to make a receiver and see what it is.)
Okay, deleting Home.apk also breaks additions to Library.
But, you can still borrow books on Adobe Digital Editions and read them by clicking them in a file browser.
Oh, well, might as well delete Library.apk
Hmm, I guess that Library.apk is a search content provider.
Books no longer show up in global search.
I guess that I'll have to roll my own.
Re-enable Home.apk, disable Reader.apk and see what intent goes.
(Last page read is kept in /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/lastreadingpoint.db
Select ean from lastreadingpoint order by lastupdated
I'm not trying to get around the DRM or anything. I just want to get rid of all the cruft.
I see what you're trying to do here
I've been playing with this some more.
Reader.apk keeps track itself of last page read.
If you just use a file manager to open your books you'll get the right page.
If you are a big library user and use Adobe Digital Editions,
then the info that ADE dumps on your Nook could be integrated nicely.
You could have your books listed and show the return date.
Hmm, do you think it could be possible to fully debrand the device and have it running a normal, common Eclair, but using the actual ROM as base? like, deleting the B&N apps and creating custom providers & intent receivers to avoid FCs and such?
Well, if you delete (or rename) Home.apk and Library.apk but still like to use Reader.apk (the native epub reader),
then you might need a convenient way to get to your last read book.
It's not rocket science and I haven't figured out the little book icon on the status bar yet,
but if you want to get back to your book here is a little app to go to last read.
Put the icon on your desktop and click the "L" to go to last read.
Did you replace library, or just completely delete it?
darkguy2008 said:
Hmm, do you think it could be possible to fully debrand the device and have it running a normal, common Eclair, but using the actual ROM as base? like, deleting the B&N apps and creating custom providers & intent receivers to avoid FCs and such?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also wondered this, I use my nook for Kindle more than I do B&N lol. It would be great if we could get a ROM to flash that removes everything from the device and just makes it run stock Android then use Kindle and B&N apps, as well as whatever other apps for reading epubs to read our books. Don't know if this is possible but it would be nice, then we could fully repurpose all the buttons on the device purely for Android OS
And make a custom e-ink friendly version of the android homescreen, possibly including no-refresh?
Right now I've got the following apps deleted:
DemoMode.apk
Home.apk
Library.apk
Shop.apk
Social.apk
I will be working on a replacement library app.
I don't use the Kindle app. Do people who do also use the Nook native reader?
At the lowest level, all you need is a file manager.
I presume that each of the readers keep track of last page.
(Regarding the Nook lastreadingpoint:
Going straight to the database is the wrong approach, using the content provider is the right way.
LastRead.apk uses that.)
Ok, it's a neat hack to watch video on the Nook, but you really wouldn't want your Nook in A2 mode all the time.
As I've said before, the best uses of A2 is when an app knows when to use it, when dragging, scrolling, zooming.
If you have the source code to a browser/viewer/whatever, putting wrappers around the dragging/scrolling/zooming operation would be an improvement.
Personally, I have no problem with my ADW Launcher.
That it blurs and trails when parking an app on the desktop is no big deal.
I've got the little book icon on the status bar to open the last book in the native Nook reader.
That is, if you don't have Home.apk or (B&N) Library.apk
Here is a stop-gap release.
It works fine for the "Currently reading" but there is not yet other functionality in it.
I left it as a complete application so that you can easily see if you have it installed.
The actual "application" part of it is a blank screen.
No need to run it or put it on your desktop.
Just install it and click the little book on the status bar.
Renate NST said:
I've got the little book icon on the status bar to open the last book in the native Nook reader.
That is, if you don't have Home.apk or (B&N) Library.apk
Here is a stop-gap release.
It works fine for the "Currently reading" but there is not yet other functionality in it.
I left it as a complete application so that you can easily see if you have it installed.
The actual "application" part of it is a blank screen.
No need to run it or put it on your desktop.
Just install it and click the little book on the status bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, looks interesting, seems like you've managed to already wrap some events to dummy workers we can attach to in the future and mod this thing up . Awesome!
I'll be testing it somewhere between today and tomorrow. Right now I'm trying to replace the stock keyboard. LatinIME.apk is deleteable but there isn't any working keyboard for it yet (I've tried GO Keyboard, GB Keyboard for Froyo/Eclair and HTC IME with no avail) and it's one of the biggest annoyances I have with it since I need more of a PC-keyboard-lookalike rather than an ebook keyboard
Although I am not getting the point of your mission :-D try Hacker's keyboard. It is possible to google out android 2.1 version. It is the best I have found so far although it is quite dark.
Just thought I'd drop this link here for hacker's keyboard.
http://code.google.com/p/hackerskeyboard/issues/detail?id=57
Also, make sure that after you install it you move it to /system/app
Googie2149 said:
Just thought I'd drop this link here for hacker's keyboard.
http://code.google.com/p/hackerskeyboard/issues/detail?id=57
Also, make sure that after you install it you move it to /system/app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, you rock! I've wanted that keyboard to work specifically. Thanks a lot!!
I've had some progress on the Library replacement.
It's not ready for prime time, but it is cute.
It will list the expiration date of your library books.
It's nice to be able to fit over 10 titles on the screen.
Renate NST said:
I've had some progress on the Library replacement.
It's not ready for prime time, but it is cute.
It will list the expiration date of your library books.
It's nice to be able to fit over 10 titles on the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome!
When will you release it?
I've been working on two different approaches.
One is to use the Android native mediastore.
There are some bugs with this and it can get out of sync.
The other is to do all the searching for books myself.
That works ok as long as the books are found in the usual places:
/system/media/books
/data/media/B&N Downloads/Books
/media/My Files/Books
/media/Digital Editions
/sdcard/My Files/Books
Are there any other locations that I am missing?
darkguy2008 said:
When will you release it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't know if it suits anyone's needs besides my own.
Because the stock Home.apk, Library.apk and Shop.apk are all tied together,
to have my app work correctly you have to rename or delete the three of them.
As far as I know it should allow books bought from B&N to still work correctly,
but I don't know because I don't own any. I only get library books or Gutenberg.
Is it important for people to be able to buy B&N books directly on their Nook?
Renate NST said:
Is it important for people to be able to buy B&N books directly on their Nook?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not if it's free?
Naturally, I speak for myself only.
You need credit card added to buy B&N free books still...
From another hand you can get same free books somewhere else, right?
Apokrifx is right, also, that app would suit me too. I need a credit card to buy B&N books, which I don't have -and- I'm not interested at all in using it as a reader. If I want to read something I'll download it and slam it through a PDF reader installed on it.
My main use for it is to take out ALL of the B&N stuff and use it as an android tablet, so, to me, it's really useful
Does anyone have any solid suggestion for this?
I used to use InstaFetch Lite which pulled articles from Instapaper however now it only pulls 10 articles (I have 700+ in there) and does not support folders. Instapaper itself has an app now however it is a paid app and I do not have a credit card (WHEN is google going to sell topup cards like apple does?? *sob*). I tried "Read Later" another instapaper app but it just hangs and does not sync properly.
I have used the export feature to export to various formats and read on the Nook. However the formatting is not good, you don't link to each article like you would from within the app, instead it's basically just a very big ebook.
So I thought I'd look at Pocket instead. The app is really well done and it's a solid product but it requires 2.2 and up. The Nook, at least mine, is 2.1 I think... is there another version of Android that I can put on here that will make Pocket app work?
Or does anyone have any other alternatives? Folders or tags and offline reading are what I need.
I was looking for something like this early - found nothing.
Will keep an eye on this thread tho...
Manual Install of Read It Later
Try searching on the internet for a "read it later" .apk file of the version before it became pocket, and install it manually. The older version is compatible, and runs fine on the nook.
- NewsRob, gReader, Instafetch and even syncing things like email only need intermittent connectivity so you can get your articles and then carry them elsewhere when offline. Need a better offline article sync app: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1811873
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess evernote and a clipper firefox addon might do it but evernote screws with the battery so would need freeze & refreeze every time you want to use it...
any of these?
-Goodreads
-Mantano
-Speed Reader
-gReader
-Documents to Go (paid office docs app)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jago25_98 said:
I guess evernote and a clipper firefox addon might do it but evernote screws with the battery so would need freeze & refreeze every time you want to use it...
any of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gReader works great! But it's a rss reader and I am wanting something for reading articles that I saved FROM gReader (or wherever) to read at another time. I follow 100+ sites in gReader, I'm not sure how I would save and organize articles for reading later. Open to ideas though!
The rest of your list are just eReader apps which is not what I was looking for but in the interest of complete info:
Mantano worked GREAT when I tried it. I was so excited! Then the next day it crashed and despite a reboot, and a reinstall I can't import books into it now without it crashing so it's useless.
Documents 2 Go I can't try because I don't have a damn credit card so I can't use paid apps.
Goodreads installed...and I signed up for an account...but I can't figure out how to read books I already have on sd card.
Speed Reader is...weird. It shows ONE word at a time lol
----
The folks at Pocket suggested this service to me which lets you create custom epub files from your pocket items:
http://reading2ebook.com/pocket/choose
It's not ideal, as you can't mark the articles read one by one but at least it is a workaround that works.
From there I read it in either the native Nook ereading app or Cool Reader which is (so far) a eReader app that not only works on the Nook but also allows a person to make notes, highlight, share, etc in an easier way than the Nook's native app.
-----
I would still LOVE a solution if anyone has one. I am trying to figure out the read it later apk stuff in the meantime...
Instapaper's "Send to Kindle" function; buying w/o credit card
(Interested lurker speaking. I don't have a NST, but a rooted Sony PRS-T1, which is similar, but running Android 2.2. Please take what I say with a grain of salt.)
If you have a version of the Kindle app for Android running on your ereader, you could try experimenting with Instapaper's "Send to Kindle" function.
Personally, I am quite happy with InstaFetch Pro. If your only problem with buying it is the lack of a credit card, you could try finding another market that accepts the kind of payment you have. They also appear to sell licenses via PayPal directly from instafetch.com.
Instapaper + Calibre + Dropsync = Bliss
There is a Calibre recipe for Instapaper that I use and it works very well. I have it set up to pull my instapaper articles into an Epub file and then have it stored on my dropbox. I bought DropSync Pro and manually sync my Nook Simple Touch with that dropbox.
To save on battery, I only manually sync with dropbox - I suppose a person could schedule it for every morning or something.
The only downside is that I have to manually delete articles form my Instapaper account - if I don't do this regularly I get confused whether or not I've read the article. I suppose I could find an instapaper app for the NST to do this from my device if I wanted to.
Also, Instapaper has a great "save to epub" that you can do manually... if you're not too excited about setting up a Calibre instance running 24/7 on a machine...
spedinfargo said:
[...] To save on battery, I only manually sync with dropbox - I suppose a person could schedule it for every morning or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Tasker to turn on wifi and sync at specific times. Dropsync Pro provides a plugin that can be called by Tasker. I set up a timed event to trigger at 6:00 AM every day, turn on wifi and wait for a connection. If connected, it will keep wifi on for 2 minutes and launch Dropsync to sync changes. It works very well on my 2 NST devices, using only minimal power for wifi during the actual sync.
I also set Tasker to only turn on wifi when needed by specific apps.
I picked up a like new NST without GlowLight and easel cover from an online acquaintance and I'm looking to make it work a little better for me.
I like the stock reader for ebooks. However, I have several PDF files with images and the stock reader just drops them completely. Looking around, it seems that ezPDF is a preferred app, but I haven't seen anything about it's image handling. A couple of them have color images and those aren't terribly important for clear viewing. Two others have black and white images and graphs and those need to be readable.
I'm also interested in a text editor of some sort. Does Google Drive work so I can use it's word processor app? Is there a good simple text editor app?
How about a spreadsheet app? Google Drive would be nice again, but anything basic work?
Calculator app? Doesn't need to be scientific, but extended operations would be nice.
I see a few game options, but not the most important. Anyone running a Spider solitare app on their phone?
Obviously I need to root it, but that's a tad . Does it matter which root I use (NST, N2E, other)? I've rooted 4 different phones, 3 Android and the HD2, so I'm not too worried about the act, just the correct procedure for my non-GlowLight NST.
So what are your suggestions?
MarkofT said:
[...] I like the stock reader for ebooks. However, I have several PDF files with images and the stock reader just drops them completely. Looking around, it seems that ezPDF is a preferred app, but I haven't seen anything about it's image handling. A couple of them have color images and those aren't terribly important for clear viewing. Two others have black and white images and graphs and those need to be readable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Mantano Reader. It handles PDFs reasonably well on the NST, at least for my needs. I also like that it will treat B&N books and sideloaded books equally, including covers and metadata display. I've completely replaced the B&N Library and Reader apps with Mantano on my NSTs.
I'm also interested in a text editor of some sort. Does Google Drive work so I can use it's word processor app? Is there a good simple text editor app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only did quick testing, but Evernote seems to work well. Documents to Go seems to work, but I never did a lot with it. (My device isn't with me, or otherwise I'd double check for you.)
How about a spreadsheet app? Google Drive would be nice again, but anything basic work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, Documents to Go seems to work.
[...] Obviously I need to root it, but that's a tad . Does it matter which root I use (NST, N2E, other)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always have good luck with TouchNooter (use the latest) so long as I remember to:
1. Confirm that I'm using the appropriate version of TN for the B&N firmware I'm running. The latest TN works on B&N 1.1.2.
2. Read the instructions -- all of them -- carefully. The NST isn't exactly like any other device, and there are some quirks (e.g. 24 hour Market delay) you want to be aware of.
3. Back your device up correctly FIRST. Unlike a lot of other devices, there is some device-specific content on some of the partitions. If you do find yourself considering doing a wipe of any sort that affects partitions, be VERY SURE you have this backed up first!
Good luck! They're nifty little devices.
Can Nook HD or HD+ read CBR or CBZ files natively?
The only app I want outside of stock is Comic Rack to read those. But if these can read those files OOB, then I don't even need it.
Thanks!!
I very don't think it will natively. And BTW, I very like to use Perfect Viewer better than Comic Rack. And I think it support CBR also. Although I never tried it. I perfer the customization UI and the way it works.
Thanks a lot I didn't think that it would. Unless perfect viewer has made some drastic changes I'm going to stick with ComicRack I enjoy using that much more over the perfect viewer.
The stock reader handles CBZ just fine but not CBR (.rar requires licensing), and there are also piles of comics available via the B&N store and/or stock apps. I was pretty impressed with the OOBE on the HD+. I never would have bought it if I didn't know I could get Google Play on there, but once I had it I realized I could have gotten along pretty well unrooted.
Do you have any input on why you prefer ComicRack to Perfect Viewer, btw? My experience w/ CR on the PC is pretty similar to Calibre; it feels like using a front-end loader to plant a flower, or often enough like piloting "the entity" from South Park. All of the 'features' get in the way of actually using the thing, and CR more than Calibre is prone to hanging and just takes ages to do anything with my big collection. Pretty much its only advantage over CDisplay + folders is the web comics templates.
Nevertheless, I'm contemplating giving the Android app another go just for the syncing and library management aspect, because there's no way I can keep even a significant fraction of my collection on the device.
Taosaur said:
The stock reader handles CBZ just fine but not CBR (.rar requires licensing), and there are also piles of comics available via the B&N store and/or stock apps. I was pretty impressed with the OOBE on the HD+. I never would have bought it if I didn't know I could get Google Play on there, but once I had it I realized I could have gotten along pretty well unrooted.
Do you have any input on why you prefer ComicRack to Perfect Viewer, btw? My experience w/ CR on the PC is pretty similar to Calibre; it feels like using a front-end loader to plant a flower, or often enough like piloting "the entity" from South Park. All of the 'features' get in the way of actually using the thing, and CR more than Calibre is prone to hanging and just takes ages to do anything with my big collection. Pretty much its only advantage over CDisplay + folders is the web comics templates.
Nevertheless, I'm contemplating giving the Android app another go just for the syncing and library management aspect, because there's no way I can keep even a significant fraction of my collection on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's awesome then, because I can just rename the cbr to cbz and be just fine!
I like Comic Rack because of the front end interface and how it handles the individual comics, it also seems faster than PV alot of the time for me.
I use Comic Rack on my PC as well, but I tend to read them on my Nook Color more than my PC.
Taosaur said:
Nevertheless, I'm contemplating giving the Android app another go just for the syncing and library management aspect, because there's no way I can keep even a significant fraction of my collection on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound like you need help putting your collection to other ppl HDD.
You can get multiple 64GB microSD card and just keep swaping them?
someone0 said:
Sound like you need help putting your collection to other ppl HDD.
You can get multiple 64GB microSD card and just keep swaping them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, it's more a matter of not having to plug in and move folders around all the time or, alternately, taking up a big chunk of my SD w/ comics. But again, I'm still conflicted on whether CR on the PC is 'smart' enough and performs well enough to be a better solution than just keeping stuff organized in folders. One argument in CR's favor is that MTP is godawful slow on my machine--in fact, I'd probably be better off moving files over WiFi.
All this is fresh in my mind because I'm simultaneously reinstalling everything in Windows on a new SSD and loading up a new 64GB microSD for the HD+ (which is also still being set up to some extent) AND trying to figure out how I'll set up the old NC for my sister and with what card and data. Oh yeah, and I'm setting up a new PC I just built for my mom
It's awesome--I do like all these tech projects, but it has me re-evaluating a lot of my apps and methods, trying to make everything play nice together.
How about something like Seagate Satellite external HDD? You could have like a mobile wifi HDD sharing. I think it come w/500GB HDD but I think there is a hack to put bigger HDD in there.
More likely I'll return to the status quo of keeping around 8GB of comics on a card and adding new stuff manually, though I do want to give CR a try. Calibre seemed like more trouble than it was worth for a long time, too, but now that I've got the hang of it and have done most of the grunt work to get my collection organized, it's a powerful tool. Enough people are crazy about ComicRack that it must be good for something.
ETA: Calibre can also handle CBR/Z files, so that's also a possibility if I want to get some chocolate in my peanut butter, but I think I'm better off keeping ebooks and ecomics separate.
Perfect viewer works awesome for me, but I'll have to give comic rack a try. I was only keeping maybe half a gig of comics on my 8gb card in the nook color. This bigger screen and higher res is much nicer so far for some of the small text. Heck its most of the reason I upgraded. Man CM10 is nice on the nook color. LOL I threadjacked myself.
joehempel said:
I like Comic Rack because of the front end interface and how it handles the individual comics, it also seems faster than PV alot of the time for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean page turns are faster? I'm testing them side by side on both the Nook Color and the Nook HD+, and there is a noticeable pause between touch and pageturn in Comic Rack, whereas in Perfect Viewer it's basically instantaneous. From fresh installs on a (currently) CM7 Nook Color, Comic Rack did have my library loaded pretty much instantly and automatically whereas PV had to be pointed to the folder and then did a lengthy scan. From then on, though, PV just beats the pants off CR for loading times and page turns.
It's all moot if you're planning to use the stock reader, but I figured I'd do the side-by-side since both devices were handy.
I just played around with the HD+ stock reader some more, and it's a little weird; the first CBZ I tried last week originally appeared under My Files in the Library app, but ended up shelved under Magazines after I'd opened it. I just tried loading several issues from a series to see if they'd be listed as a series under Magazines, but they didn't get added to the Magazine shelf. They show up in the Recent carousel, but to get at them via the Library I'd still have to go through My Files. The only change I've made was to change the folder name from /ext_sdcard/Books to /ext_sdcard/Comics. I'll mess around some more and report back.
ETA: Somehow the comic I opened last week ended up in /sdcard/My Files/Magazines, and as such shows up under Magazines in the Library. Some CBZs do have some odd artifacting at the bottom of the page, like the bottom few pixels were smeared down the page.
excellent!
Thank you for testing this all out!
I like the fact that it puts in under magazines and separates them from books, so that's good.
I think maybe I'm going to sideload Comic Rack though if possible to use it.
I'll look at PV again, but I kind of like the animations between the pages lol. I dunno, I like the fine coat of polish and extras away from reading I guess.
Is the Comic Rack support SMB? Because Perfect Viewer does, I like to have all my media app support networking.
I also like how I could either use PV looking at stuff on the Nook as Bookshelf, or just browse the file like an image viewer off anywhere.
CBZ Double spread problem on nook hd+
Have you encountered compressed cbz page (when using nook hd+'s native reader)? Most common on my comics where a splash action scene occupies 2 pages. Once I convert it to cbz, nook hd+ shows the combined page into one screen. Twisting the nook to landscape does not fix the compressed image.
Any (verified) solutions out there besides physically splitting the splash scene (via photo editor) into two images (two pages)?