[Q] Full screen ebook reader... - Windows Mobile Apps and Games

Hi,
I spent the last three hours looking for a solution here and via Google, so I would appreciate some input from you guys, even though there are already some threads about this:
I'm new at the whole smartphone-business, I really impressed by the Opera browser and it's full screen functionality, so I am looking for a similar solution to read my PDFs (books, scripts, etc.).
Here is what I have tried based on xda-developers:
Adobe Reader LE: No full screen (I hear there is a possibility to enable this but I could not find a setting/registry entry that works)
PocketXpdf: Slow, also I can't exit full screen.
Foxit Reader 2.0: 20$, no zooming option without side borders
With Adobe and Foxit on the Windows Desktop, one can zoom PDFs so that the text goes to the edge of the screen (instead of showing the borders on the side), and I wish there was a solution to do this with WM as well.
I would be willing to convert my PDFs to another format if that would make things more comfortable.
Here is what I want:
- Full screen reading with minimal Interface
- Jump to a certain page (so a pure HTML-file wouldn't really work, I presume)
I would appreciate any help you guys could give me!
Thanks in advance!

What device are you using?
if you are using an HTC with sense 2.5.2011 or better I would suggest to use the HTC eBook reader.
look for the stand alone cab.
alternativelly you can look for "freda" ebook reader.
Enjoy reading

I use Freda and Mobpocketreader.

Thanks for replying, guys!
ypsmav said:
What device are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touch Pro2 with the latest Energy ROM.
if you are using an HTC with sense 2.5.2011 or better I would suggest to use the HTC eBook reader.
look for the stand alone cab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the "Software information", I have Manila version 2.5.20191914.0. Do I understand this correctly that "Manila" is the codeword for "Sense"?
Also, is this the CAB you meant:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=642463
alternativelly you can look for "freda" ebook reader.
Enjoy reading
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll look into that as well. I figure I'm going to try them all.

Good threat!
Could you please keep us informed about your experience with the other readers. It is very interssting for me too.
Yes Manila is Sense

Why not try FB2 format ? AlReader is the best reader in this format for WM. It also reads a variety of other formats (txt, doc, rtf, Palm's pdb, it can read these files compressed in zip or rar (v2) archives). There's also a desktop version. Plus, online PDF to FB2 converter here:
http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-fb2
FB2 is superior to PDF especially on mobile (faster, uses less memory, many extra features), and AlReader is probably the best reader I've ever used.

My 2 cents
I have to agree with that. Allreader is fantastic. It reads a ton of formats, it opens instantly, and has some great features. It doesn't read the epub, but other than that its perfect. I installed the standalone version of the HTC Reader for epubs, and those two readers, for me, are everything I need. Your milage may vary, of course...
Ummagumma said:
Why not try FB2 format ? AlReader is the best reader in this format for WM. It also reads a variety of other formats (txt, doc, rtf, Palm's pdb, it can read these files compressed in zip or rar (v2) archives). There's also a desktop version. Plus, online PDF to FB2 converter here:
http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-fb2
FB2 is superior to PDF especially on mobile (faster, uses less memory, many extra features), and AlReader is probably the best reader I've ever used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Here is what I want:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alreader, one and only(it nicely reads html ebooks).
Advice: skip PDF files, it has no real use for real reading on PDA devices(i know, you can read them, but it is pure nonsense.

Related

Ebook

I was wondering is there any kind of app that will let me read any book on my phone please help
I really haven't been satisfied with any of the windows mobile readers I have tried, but someone has to be able to make a nice reader for multiple formats that has reflow and page-turning with gestures.
The only one I can stand to use is Adobe Reader which has reflow (has to be enabled in registry for recent versions) but only supports PDF files and has no gesture based page turning. You can scroll with your finger but not 'flip' from page to page which would be far more useful. Other readers are even less elegant, although they tend to support more ebook formats. Adobe Reader LE is installed with most (all?) stock Touch Pros and most custom ROMs.
Basically, I cannot answer your question -- I'll join you in asking it though...Where oh where is a good ebook reader for Windows Mobile?
all of the good ones I've used are pay ones.
You can of course use Microsoft Reader for pocket pc. There is a free word add-in that will covert your .doc files to .lit files. Copy them over and away you go. That was the best format available for quite a while. Recently I have discovers mobireader. It reads txt files and .mobi files and is much easier on the memory than MS Reader. I then also found an application that can convert .pdf files, .txt files and most other common formats to the .mobi format for easier reading. It is called calibre and is awesome! Hope that answers your questions.
I recommend MobiPocket Reader, as well. The program is free and versatile. I've had no difficulty finding books in that format - it seems that this is the software used by Amazon.com prior to the Kindle. It does everything I wanted it to... I'm currently reading a Dean Koontz title and it's better than a paperback. Easier to hold and when my eyes get tired, I can make the print bigger.
best one out there? ubook by far. awhole 15$ and u get everything but .lit and .pdf. they have a free nag version, and i think they have a free one. i have used it since i had an ipaq. great app, full customization available. get it. u wont regret it......oh. and u can read the files when they are .zip to save about 50-70% of the file space.
I use mobibook as well,
reflow, resize, page flipping by gesture or dpad.
I d/l ebooks in any format, open them with my laptop version, select send to mobile device and it auto-converts.
oh, and as mentioned it's free
ubook
i've been using ubook for at least 5 years now.. in fact now that i think about it, i'm still using whichever version i downloaded 5 years ago! it is usually the first thing i put on my pda when i hard reset.
i'll 2nd what the other guy said about it - it reads .txt, .doc, .html even inside zip files. has a few skins.. the interface isn't exactly standard but it's not complicated either.
eReader
I've been using the WM version of the eReader (www.ereader.com) software for several years and lie it a lot. You used to have to pay for the "pro" version, but now it's the only version and is free. Very customizable (theme, font size, margins, etc.) and works great on my TP.

[Q] Reading pdfs very cumbersome on TG01

HI All,
The Adobe Reader on TG01 hampers readabilty, as I increase the font size I have to slide the text all the while. I tried to install another Adobe2 programme, but it didn't work at all. What can I do? I'm in dire need of reading books and articles, as I can't carry my notebook everywhere. Please HELP!
regards,
shahzadahmad said:
HI All,
The Adobe Reader on TG01 hampers readabilty, as I increase the font size I have to slide the text all the while. I tried to install another Adobe2 programme, but it didn't work at all. What can I do? I'm in dire need of reading books and articles, as I can't carry my notebook everywhere. Please HELP!
regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try using TG01 in landscape mode to read pdf files, it might reduce the number of times you want to scroll or you could use other softwares that could open pdf files. However, since pdf versions can be opened only by few softwares and adobe being one of the best, I don't think you would find increased benefits of using anything else. TG01 has a massive screen so you already are in benefit of not scrolling as much as you might do in smaller phones!
Landscape view for reading is what I normally do. What
I normally use landscape view for reading but here I mean when I had Imate Jamin, I could read pdfs very easily with the Adobe2, because it had text wrapping function. The default Adobe doesn't have this text wrapping function. Can anyone suggest how the problem can be solved?
shahzadahmad said:
I normally use landscape view for reading but here I mean when I had Imate Jamin, I could read pdfs very easily with the Adobe2, because it had text wrapping function. The default Adobe doesn't have this text wrapping function. Can anyone suggest how the problem can be solved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two types of PDF documents:
1) Image based or scanned documents (without OCR process) , that are just graphic documents, and
2) text documents (from a text source or OCR process)
1) Regarding the first type, we are limited by the screen size (I agree with other replies, working in landscape can help us). We can only scrolling across the document using a PDF reader. For this, I recommend Foxit Reader (http://www.foxitsoftware.com).
2) If instead, the pdf is based on text, the Adobe Reader that comes with the TG01 is useless, because it don't have the text re-flow option (I think that it's the same that shahzadahmad calls "text wrapping function")
You have to replace the Adobe Reader version. Mine is LE 2.5.00
If you want to try it, I've uploaded my copy, but it's in Spanish. I think that if you search a bit, you will find the same version (or newer) in English.
For text only, another great possibility is convert the PDF on EPUB with Calibra or AnyBizSoft PDF to EPUB and reading it with FREDA (a free EPUB reader)
http://www.turnip.demon.co.uk/jim/freda/freda6.htm. The reading experience it's much better (but you need an external PC to convert the document)
Hope this help you
UPDATE: I've just discovered a web site where you can convert online documents to EPUB and FREE!! : http://www.2epub.com/

[Q] Everything about PDF

I put some pdfs and an m4v and flv video on the device, organized in folders. I go in acrobat reader and it seems to find the pdfs, but just puts them in a single list, rather than showing the file hierarchy.
I would like to be able to browse the file hierarchy and touch a file and have it open. I have a lot of pdfs to put in the device and they need to be organized, not one big list.
Also would like to search for text in PDFs.
Ideally I am looking for something similar to ipad's Goodreader wher you can organize a hieararchy of mixed file types, PDF and video, and view any of them.
Acrobat reader and Quick Office seem to be a little slow to load. I am wondering if there is an app for this that is quick loading.
Any ideas?
Agree that Acrobat reader is one of the worst PDF readers all across the pad platforms. But unfortunately it seems that's the only choice on webos. Hope this wave of TP can bring some new PDF reader to it.
[Q] How to search through a PDF?
please excuse the question but I tried google a few times and couldn't get anything. Can the default adobe PDF viewer even search documents? If it can how the hell can I find the option? Is there anything 3rd party that allows searching through pdfs?
[Q] PDF Reading and Citrix?
To current owners, how is reading pdfs on the TP? Is it snappy like Ipad 2 and how about large pdfs like 100mb or greater? I dont really care about annotations.
Also does Citrix work? I saw an ad showing Citrix working. Thx
For the pdf file it's very fast and snappy,very usable, but only tested with a couple of 50Mo one, if you have bigger to test give me a link.
About citrix, take a look here:
http://forums.precentral.net/webos-development/190779-request-citrix-app.html
And
http://blogs.citrix.com/2011/02/09/...ake-webos-devices-enterprise-ready-at-launch/
Ok, I couldn't resist the temptation and got a Touchpad to play with. The two hospital pages where I use Citrix to access medical records don't work. The demo on Youtube looks so smooth . Adobe Acrobat on the WebOS is just as horrid as on the Android platform. There is no way, I can sit there read the PDFs in this condition. The letters all look fuzzy, and I don't think this is purely an issue with resolution and display. The software doesn't fully render it.
The good part is that flash works really well from the browser. Very well done. Also the cards arrangement of the overall OS is the best I have seen out of all 3 tablet platforms. It's unfortunate. I think it just take a little more work from HP to make it competitive.
1. A better screen. It's listed as IPS display but no where close to the Ipad.
2. Work out the small bugs in the WebOS
This pad desperately needs Alkido.
darkamulet said:
please excuse the question but I tried google a few times and couldn't get anything. Can the default adobe PDF viewer even search documents? If it can how the hell can I find the option? Is there anything 3rd party that allows searching through pdfs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to the best of my knowledge, I've looked through every option and nothing. I also asked this same question about searching PDFs and never got a response. FYI I have a few 40mb+ pdfs w/ schematic drawings and it has the tendency of chugging along or even worse it loses the menu bar uptop where I can select pages from. I'll get stuck on page 230 out of 500 and will have to close the card down and open it up again to get the number list.

epub, PDF & cbz sideloading observations

So I've been having a blast obsessing over my NT. I find that I actually like the stock Home for reading & browsing books, pdfs & comic book archives. These are some quick observations:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Any compatible formats will show up in the Library, Home Screen & the Daily Shelf if they're side loaded via USB. But if they're transferred over a network, using ES File Explorer, they won't. You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
PDFs: Covers don't appear. Titles & Author will be displayed if the info is available. I used PDF-Xchange Viewer to edit Title & Author in unlocked PDFs. Cover art does NOT display, which doesn't make sense because they work with CBZ.
CBZs: Comic Book Archives that are ZIP work really well. I used a batch script that I found here: http://www.advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/diary.html?start=363 to convert all CBRs to CBZs. It's way quicker than manually converting. The first page will show up as cover art, which is really cool.
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
gaaamer said:
Not only can you get good covers for your epubs, but I actually know the ideal resolution. And even covers that are embedded in the epub that are misaligned, crappy resolution, or generally garbage I've learned how to fix and perfect.
I WAS going to make a tutorial video showing how to do all of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Omg nirv come back again xD
Thanks for your observations. Its good to know sideloading will go into the B&N space rather than the 1Gb of space. Now I know you are doing it for books etc - but can you tell us if sideloading mp3s and say a movie file will do the same and go into the reserved space? Please try it out and let us know.
Its a shame that the covers of PDFs dont show. Thats kind of a bummer. I don't even understand why that wouldn't just work by default. Is there somewhere official we can go to complain about that so they might fix it? I want to throw lots of pdfs on there and hope to see the covers!
PDFs are legit and supported files, so it wouldn't hurt to comment or suggest that the stock home support PDF covers.
The stock library or home page does not display videos as far as I can tell. The way that media, like pics, music and video work they show up join the Media Gallery, which sucks. But again those are supported file formats, so it's something worth commenting and makings suggestions about. Email their support at [email protected]
I second the notion that cbz work very well on the NT.
Though the lack of some features that actual dedicated comic reader apps offer is really evident when you're stuck with the stock viewer.
Double pages are often shrunken down onto one page, you can't automatically advance to the next comic, you can't create shelves within shelves so you can organize your comic series, etc.
It'll do in a pinch, but the stock reader will never replace stuff like comic reader mobi and perfect viewer. If only those would show up in the B&N app store and become "official."
reverenddak said:
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download calibre. It is a free program for windows (maybe mac too..dunno) that you can add/edit any information for the epub books and convert from/to most formats. I have a lot of mobi ebooks that I have converted to epub and added the cover art and it shows in the stock library. It also has a nifty search program that automatically searches for cover art from multiple sources.
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
reverenddak said:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you or anyone please explain this in detail for a noob?
You're saying this uses the 11GB of B&N "reserved" *hijacked* RAM, not the 1GB left for the user?
When I plug my rooted NT into my computer, the MyNOOK drive is mounted, but it's only 1GB. (Also my SD card mounts). Copying to My Files reduces the 1GB. So there must be more to 'sideloading via USB' than this, so what am I missing? Or is it just certain files and formats go to the B&N space?
You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far the closest I've found is clicking 'Edit' in the My Shelves section- a list will pop up with media on either internal or SD card and let you individually select each item to add. Would be a real PITA with a large number of files though.
Thanks for the conversion to CBZ script. I was batch-extracting my .CBR files, zipping them, then changing the extension to .cbz but the script is obviously much faster for large collections.
PrinceMorganti said:
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock reader works great for RPG book PDFs. I've used files with sizes ranging from 1-2MB to upwards of 75MB (I've got all of DnD 3rd,3.5, and 4th ed and quite a bit of 2nd scanned and OCRed), and only very rarely notice lag, even when reading off of SD. Only real downside is the PDF cover problem that has existed since the NC. For me, it was enough of an annoyance that I started using Mantano Reader (the paid version) on my rooted NT until such time that it ever gets fixed, since it allows browsing by cover thumbnail.
PrinceMorganti said:
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've loaded a few 60MB+ pdf files that I use for work. Paging through them is reasonably fast. The stock viewer has really clumsy navigation and bookmark controls though.
I'd rather use QuickPDF, but it has an issue where all the options are trapped under the status bar
zaptoons said:
I've loaded a few 60MB+ pdf files that I use for work. Paging through them is reasonably fast. The stock viewer has really clumsy navigation and bookmark controls though.
I'd rather use QuickPDF, but it has an issue where all the options are trapped under the status bar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading on another post where someone turned off the status bar, accidently at first, but then liked it better that way.
Here it is:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19761265&highlight=status#post19761265
Nook native reader chokes on some PDFs
I got my NT to be a universal ebook reader. It works great for that with Calibre.
The native PDF reader is good for selecting text passages, but it will choke and hang on certain PDF's that don't appear to handle text flow correctly. I get a PDF subscription to Monitoring Times, and I've run into that problem. The reader will hang, and then suddenly present you with two sentences of selected text smushedtogetherwithoutspaceslikethis.
The NT comes with QuickOffice Lite and you can read PDF's with it. I decided to buy the Pro version--I needed to be able to edit Word/Excel docs, and the PDF reader on QO Pro is quite a bit smoother. It's worth $7 bucks (and I can't stand Angry Birds anyway...)
I haven't yet found an upper limit for PDF size--a lot of files I have are scanned computer manuals from bitsavers.org, but I regularly read PDF's of 50-60 megs or more on the device.
Otherwise, it's a great first tablet. I had whole folders of PDF's, .mobi, Plucker, .doc and plain text files that just went right in, at least after I used Calibre to convert them.
HMG10 said:
I was reading on another post where someone turned off the status bar, accidently at first, but then liked it better that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, yeah that was me. Unfortunately, this was specific only to GoLauncher. No way to turn it off in QuickPDF.
Fortunately, it doesn't matter; I got rid of the paid QuickOffice entirely. (I got it free from Amazon. I'm glad I didn't pay for it, because it sucked on the NT)
I've since found (thanks to someone here) that I prefer Mantano Reader Free. It's available straight from the market.
It has an awesome interface, it's own bookshelf, it generates/shows PDF covers, and it's blazing fast. It seems tablet aware; it only shows the status bar when you tap the bottom of the screen, and it's own menu is high enough not to get stuck behind it. I highly recommend it.
dmoisan said:
I got my NT to be a universal ebook reader. It works great for that with Calibre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2nd this. Calibre is amazing. I use the 'Fetch News' feature to gather content from various sources, and it creates a perfectly formatted mini-magazine out of them. I was surprised when I attached my NT; Calibre recognized it as a Nook Tablet, and automatically copied my news 'digests' to My Files.
reverenddak said:
So I've been having a blast obsessing over my NT. I find that I actually like the stock Home for reading & browsing books, pdfs & comic book archives. These are some quick observations:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Any compatible formats will show up in the Library, Home Screen & the Daily Shelf if they're side loaded via USB. But if they're transferred over a network, using ES File Explorer, they won't. You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
PDFs: Covers don't appear. Titles & Author will be displayed if the info is available. I used PDF-Xchange Viewer to edit Title & Author in unlocked PDFs. Cover art does NOT display, which doesn't make sense because they work with CBZ.
CBZs: Comic Book Archives that are ZIP work really well. I used a batch script that I found here: http://www.advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/diary.html?start=363 to convert all CBRs to CBZs. It's way quicker than manually converting. The first page will show up as cover art, which is really cool.
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get the items you sideloaded into the reserved space via USB?
When I copy files from my computer to "/media/my files/Books" they go into the 1gig space.
Are you sure they are in the 12gig reserved space? In which directory do you see them with root explorer?
I have the same experience.
I did not root my NT coz I am scared (noob here), so I am just sideloading.
Most of the ebooks I downloaded actually go to my library which means it uses the 11 or 12gb that BN reserved for "their" content.
I am not sure if this go to all other files but all the things I downloaded from the browser go to the MyFiles (Downloads) folder of the library, be it ebooks or apps. I haven't tried to download anything from the browser other than ebooks and apps at the moment.
I am using an mp3 download app from the market and the mp3s I downloaded from the app goes to the sd card...
You will load into My Files/Books. If it's on the main storage, this folder is in that 1G area. If you have a SD card, then it's on the SD card. SD card shows on your desktop as another drive.
Possible PDF Cover solution?
PDFs: Covers don't appear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been annoyed by this issue for a few months now, I think I might have made a little headway though.
I made a post on the nookdevelopers.zendest.com, where one user recommended dropping a PDF into an ePub since it's basically a Zip file. It took me awhile to learn the ePub format since it's a little more involved than just zipping the cover/pdf together.
My final product was a PDF w/ a cover, which showed up nicely on the Nook Tablet "Desktop"!! However now when I open the PDF (well, it's like an PDF/ePub hybrid now), it renders horribly, the page turns are slow, and if I navigate to any page past 80 or so it crashes. This blows my mind because the naked PDF works just fine in the reader app.
Here is a link the now unresponsive Zendesk post: Can't link yet
Here is the ePub/PDF & Cover I created: Can't link yet
Here is a link to the raw PDF: Can't link yet
(Until I can link, head over to the zendesk and search for 'pdf in epub with nook tablet', there are 2 different threads, the newest one has links to the PDF and ePub wrapped PDF I created)
I'm hoping this is a clue that will tip someone off to breaking this problem wide open.
Once the kinks are worked out, I can throw together an app to auto-wrap PDF's into ePubs. A complete bandaid to the problem, but since the Nook developers are asleep at the wheel, it's at least something.

PDF Magazines...

I know some of them can end up quite big (lots of pictures/ads) but has anybody came across one that handles it ok? At the moment, when zooming about I get lots of problems (for example, pinch to zoom takes a while to re-render the font)
Or, should I put my magazine/pdfs through a program to a format that works well with android?
fracmo2000 said:
I know some of them can end up quite big (lots of pictures/ads) but has anybody came across one that handles it ok? At the moment, when zooming about I get lots of problems (for example, pinch to zoom takes a while to re-render the font)
Or, should I put my magazine/pdfs through a program to a format that works well with android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download perfect viewer from the market and then download the pdf plugin. All your problems will be solved.
Best pdf viewer out there.
Speaking of PDF mags, anyone know how to convert zinio mags to pdf or standard epub? The zinio reader bloooooows
Modded by MBOK
I use ezPDF Reader and it is excellent. You should give it a try.
sbdags said:
Download perfect viewer from the market and then download the pdf plugin. All your problems will be solved.
Best pdf viewer out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestions (also went through the post your top 3 apps post), never heard of perfect viewer before...works the best for me. Changed a few setings and its perfect, reading the 100mb pdf files works great. Cheers man

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