Database Users

pdf files better way?

I'm frustrated by the way pdf's are forced to completely redraw (or maybe reload) themselves when you scroll around within a page. It makes them a time consuming hassle. Is there any way to make it scroll smoothly? I'm using the clearvue pdf viewer that was loaded with the Cingular 812555.

u have mobipocket and others, but most of them arnt free...
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eNews/default.asp
and im not sure if it solves ur problem, i just suggest alternatives to try...

Thanks trashman for the suggestion. I'm not worried about paying for the program if it does the trick (though of course I would rather find it for free). Does anybody out there know if mobipocket will help smooth out scrolling when viewing PDF's?

mgspeed said:
Thanks trashman for the suggestion. I'm not worried about paying for the program if it does the trick (though of course I would rather find it for free). Does anybody out there know if mobipocket will help smooth out scrolling when viewing PDF's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't display PDF's, you'll need to convert them, which may result in problems unless your PDF source is fully text-based.
That is, don't even try to convert a, say, graphics-heavy tech book to the Mobi format.

dunno with heavy graphics but with normal graphics, pictures and so on i have no problem with it...and it scroll fast on text and relatively smooth on graphics...
but mene is correct, u cant read a pdf right away, it need to be "converted"...

Trashman said:
dunno with heavy graphics but with normal graphics, pictures and so on i have no problem with it...and it scroll fast on text and relatively smooth on graphics...
but mene is correct, u cant read a pdf right away, it need to be "converted"...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, with a normal, say, literature book the Mobi format is much better than PDF.

I for one am a fairly heavy PDF user and have always gone back to the bloated Adobe Reader 2.0. Just found this Foxit Reader for Windows Mobile which is still beta but was quite impressive. No installation, just a small executable that I copied to my Program Files directory and changed the PDF default viewer in the registry. It has a stupid nag screen and an Evaluation banner at the top of the that I'm sure will disappear when it's actually released. Looks like it has promise.....

I tried 'em all on my 8125, and settled on Foxit Reader. It only cost me $9.99 for a licensed version, and it works as well as any. It is very fast, takes up very little room and redraws seamlessly. The only drawback to it is that it has no find function. But tables of contents and links within documents are both fully functional. It's the best pdf viewer I've used in all my years of using PDAs and Handhelds.
This is the URL to the beta download, but if you contact the company they are very good about communicating with you.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/foxitreader/rd_ppc.php
You can contact Sales here: [email protected]
I did have some trouble in getting the licensed version to keep my registration key from one session to the next, and had to get about 4 different "new" versions from them before they finally got me the fully licensed executable, but they didn't give up and their replies were timely.
Overall I'm very happy with it. I even open 6+Mb manuals with it and it is very fast in doing so, and just as fast in navigating within those large documents.
G'luck

Okay. The I downloaded the Fox Reader evaluation. Is there anyway to make it the default reader once you get the licensed version?
By the way - it's much quicker to use than the clearvue reader.

RepliGo PDF Mobilizer looks quite nice as well. The viewer for pocketpc is free, but you'll need to convert your PDFs to a custom format with their software, which is shareware (but nothing a quick search with Google can't fix).
The converted files are about half the size of the original PDF without losing layout/features etc.

addicus said:
Okay. The I downloaded the Fox Reader evaluation. Is there anyway to make it the default reader once you get the licensed version?
By the way - it's much quicker to use than the clearvue reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use a registry editor, navigatate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Look for pdffile. The Shell\Open\Command. Open the key and copy the text to the clipboard. (Mine says "\\Program Files\FoxitReader for WiM5.0.exe" %1" Close that and go down to Opendoc\Command and replace the text in the entry there.

Dr Puttingham said:
Use a registry editor, navigatate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Look for pdffile. The Shell\Open\Command. Open the key and copy the text to the clipboard. (Mine says "\\Program Files\FoxitReader for WiM5.0.exe" %1" Close that and go down to Opendoc\Command and replace the text in the entry there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just found this thread again. I dl'd total commander and this worked perfectly. Thanks Dr.!!!!!

Bookreader?

Hi,
Now that Gartner is listing e-book readers as one of the hottest trends on the market, with Sony and Amazon positioned to lead the way, does anyone have any strong reccomendations for WM6-based readers?
Given a good-sized VGA screen the TP2 "should" be a good device for this, one would think. Personally I was a big "fan" of MS Reader back when I had iPAQs and Universal, but development of Reader seems to have completely died out in 2004 (I have great difficulty reading any of all my "activation required" books since WM5.0). So is there anything much better that anyone can reccomend?
Thanks/McHan

McHan said:
Hi,
Now that Gartner is listing e-book readers as one of the hottest trends on the market, with Sony and Amazon positioned to lead the way, does anyone have any strong reccomendations for WM6-based readers?
Given a good-sized VGA screen the TP2 "should" be a good device for this, one would think. Personally I was a big "fan" of MS Reader back when I had iPAQs and Universal, but development of Reader seems to have completely died out in 2004 (I have great difficulty reading any of all my "activation required" books since WM5.0). So is there anything much better that anyone can reccomend?
Thanks/McHan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MobiPocket Reader. The only way to fly .... free and reads the very popular .prc format.
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp?Language=EN
Cheers

I always swore by Haalireader as it seemed quicker and smoother than Mobireader, until I got the TP2, that is. Mobi seems a lot nicer than Halli, which has not been updated for years.
Having said that, Mobi will not start from the last book accessed anymore when loaded through Manilla, although I tried Pointui at the weekend and mobi would open the last book when launched through Poinui. I suppose its just a quirk!

Many thanks for the suggestions, will give both these a try...
Cheers/McHan

Free reader software - Plucker, at: http://www.plkr.org/
Free out-of-US-Copyright books (including most of the Classics) - Project Gutenberg at: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Hope that helps

stunno said:
I always swore by Haalireader as it seemed quicker and smoother than Mobireader, until I got the TP2, that is. Mobi seems a lot nicer than Halli, which has not been updated for years.
Having said that, Mobi will not start from the last book accessed anymore when loaded through Manilla, although I tried Pointui at the weekend and mobi would open the last book when launched through Poinui. I suppose its just a quirk!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope it's because the short cut reference from the manila programs tab also contains a parameter that causes MobiPocket to get upset.
You can edit the registry and remove the extra parameter and MobiPocket will happily open the last book

Repligo viewer. Flowed text is the only way to go with WM

MrMiyagi said:
Nope it's because the short cut reference from the manila programs tab also contains a parameter that causes MobiPocket to get upset.
You can edit the registry and remove the extra parameter and MobiPocket will happily open the last book
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TYVM for the pointer which helped me solve the problem. I had mobi launcing from one of the first line of icons on the launcher which used to have the read only icons. There was a legacy command pointing to the contacts page which was messing everything up

stunno said:
TYVM for the pointer which helped me solve the problem. I had mobi launcing from one of the first line of icons on the launcher which used to have the read only icons. There was a legacy command pointing to the contacts page which was messing everything up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, threw me for a while too ... I thought it was a bug in the ROM i was using until one day I rearranged by shortcuts and Mobi on a lower line i.e. not one of the read-only ones. Lo and behold Mobi suddenly started remembering the last book/pos. It gave me a clue where to look.
Cheers.

[Q] Help - Need to prepare a tablet for use by a disabled person

Hi all. I was asked by a family friend to prepare a tablet for use by a person who is confined to a hospital bed. He has limited mobility, I think only one side of his body. Additionally, he is very old, so I imagine his eyesight is poor. I have not met with him yet, so I don't know all of the details, but I'm trying to prepare myself with some knowledge about what I can do when I meet him.
So, here I am asking for suggestions. I have a plan for mounting the iconia, so I'm good there; what I need is software suggestions for programs that he can use. His interests are:
1) web browsing
2) email
3) writing
The other thing I need help with is finding programs that will make the iconia easier to use generally: larger text, brighter icons, ?
For web browsing, I think Dolphin for Pad will be best, but I'll install opera too, just to see which he likes. Anyone know if there is a browser that would be particularly easy to use? Also, I don't know what news sources will be best, but as far as I can tell, the CNN app is the best for the tablet (even though I detest CNN. The NYtimes app has tiny text and is not fun to navigate...)
For email I think the default email client will work. If he uses gmail, I'll do that, if he has more than one I'll aggregate them in the gmail client. If he's stuck to hotmail (he's old...) I'll use the regular email client unless someone has a better suggestion.
For writing I have Docs to Go full and Quickoffice Pro. I also have the Flex T9 keyboard. Anyone have better suggestions? \
Thanks all in advance! I know this is going to be a challenge: I don't think he's ever even used a tablet, so the learning curve here will be steep. If this doesn't work, we may try an iPad (gasp!) just because it's harder to **** up, but I'd prefer to stick to the android so I can provide remote support (I'm keeping my galaxy 10.1!)

You've got yourself quite a hard task ahead of you. Mostly because there are almost no accessibility functions or applications available for Android devices at all. And you say that he's physically disabled, possibly not being able to use the other side of his body... so, how's he going to hold the tablet up and use it at the same time?
I personally feel a regular laptop would be a better choice. Sure, it's heavier, but there's far far more software for accessibility uses and it can easily be used even one-handed.

you can also try the w500. windows contains a lot of disabled functions.

Thanks for the two suggestions. In my original post I omitted the part about it being mounted above his head (the post was getting pretty long). He will not have to hold it, nor could he. We have already determined that a laptop will not work. I already have the iconia, and I'd like to try to make it work. Again, thanks for the suggestions, but what I'm really looking for is software for android or settings withing android that will make this work.

slack04 said:
Thanks for the two suggestions. In my original post I omitted the part about it being mounted above his head (the post was getting pretty long). He will not have to hold it, nor could he. We have already determined that a laptop will not work. I already have the iconia, and I'd like to try to make it work. Again, thanks for the suggestions, but what I'm really looking for is software for android or settings withing android that will make this work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android simply was not designed with accessibility in mind.. :/

Bump. I know that some of you have some real ideas, not just naysaying. I didn't mention before that I'm not rooted but would be happy to root if there would be any advantages...
(please - no more discouraging responses. I have some ideas on how to do this, and it will probably work, I'm just looking for other ideas that maybe I hadn't considered yet).

Bull**** spotted!
WereCatf said:
Android simply was not designed with accessibility in mind.. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are sooooooo wrong.
Many Android users have disabilities that require them to interact with their Android devices in different ways. These include users who have visual, physical or age-related disabilities that prevent them from fully using or seeing a touchscreen.
Android provides an accessibility layer that helps these users navigate their Android-powered devices more easily. Android's accessibility services provide things like text-to-speech, haptic feedback, and trackball/d-pad navigation that augment the user experience.
Your application should follow the guidelines in this document to ensure that it provides a good experience for users with disabilities. Following these two basic rules will solve most access-related problems:
Make all of your user interface controls accessible with a trackball or directional controller (d-pad).
Label your ImageButton, EditText, and other input widgets using the android:contentDescription attribute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ANDROID DO SUPPORT ACCESSIBILITY AND PROVIDE TOOLS TO DO IT SO...
tsss.
@slack04
he is very old, so I imagine his eyesight is poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check this websites.
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/index.html
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/enabling.html
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/apps.html
Good luck

You can use Desktop Visualizer to make the on screen icons larger

try to change the LCD dpi in build.prop. use a Bluetooth mouse as a pointer or a those ipad pens. The rest is trying to use the voice for launching the most important applications. I think it can be done and he will enjoy the tablet.
Good Luck

kekinash said:
try to change the LCD dpi in build.prop. use a Bluetooth mouse as a pointer or a those ipad pens. The rest is trying to use the voice for launching the most important applications. I think it can be done and he will enjoy the tablet.
Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can anyone confirm that this will make the screen icons larger? I don't think he's blind to the point where talkback will be useful, but I do think that larger type/icons would definitely be a positive. I have a few cheap soft-tip styluses; is there a real difference between them? I will get one of the $20 ones if that will really make it easier to use.
Also, looks like I need to root this thing. I'm comfortable with that; I have rooted more than a few gizmos in my life; anyone have a suggestion for a good ROM (or anything else root related specific to my question)?

Wtf?
WereCatf said:
Android simply was not designed with accessibility in mind.. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you love how the Internet makes everyone an instant expert?
Tried going to settings accessibility screen reader?
Android may not have a lot available yet, but accessibility is definitely in mind

Slack, first off I commend you for helping him, your a good man. For News try News 360 & World News papers. Each one you can touch zoom what your reading & the latter formats what your reading on the page. CNN,AGREE ! Don't forget a stand for him to use on his bed side roller table.
Good luck,
Bob
I forgot, Fox News just came out with an Android app. Not bad.

eglathangion said:
Don't you love how the Internet makes everyone an instant expert?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sanaell said:
Bull**** spotted!
You are sooooooo wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey guys, WereCatf is pretty good as far as helping people out around here. I understand how she sees the current accessibility options. They are pretty weak at this stage. For instance, if someone wanted to change their font size globally, without root and slack04's spiffy trick they would have quite a time. There are no contrast controls that I know of in the accessibility options, or anywhere else. That seems to me that it would be included for the visually impared if much thought had gone into it at all. There looks to be a huge absence of apps for the disabled. Ripe and waiting for some developer to tap into.
Maybe you fellas should consider taking a look around at some of her posts. Perhaps you might rethink the comments.

Can an A500 replace my netbook?

Hi guys.
Some time ago my laptop broke down. I haven't bought a new one since I'm low on cash so currently I'm borrowing my mates netbook.
I've been about a lot about a Tablet + keyboard solution. My primary objective is to take notes in my school, not writing big assignments (I have a desktop).
Is there any proper office alternatives for Android?
What do you guys think?

I replaced my netbook with this tablet. So I would normally say yes. However, I have yet to find a virtual keyboard that would be fast enough for keeping notes in a class environment. That said, there are plenty of bluetooth and USB keyboards that can work with the tablt and have a small form factor to make carrying it around between classes not a big deal.
Other than the need for fast typing, I would say yes, it definitely can replace a netbook. As for office replacements, it of course can use Google Docs, but there is Quick Office and similar paid-for apps to replace MS Office.

Thanks, that was really helpful!
I'm going to buy the USB folio case that's on ebay.
I'm from Denmark, and we have three extra letters, Æ Ø and Å, obviously these are not in the keyboard, but I recall on the Desire Z keyboard, if the long-press O, a box with Ø will pop.
Can you test also applies in honeycomb + usb keyboard?

If no one else chimes in, I'll test this when I get home. I know there are a LOT of extra/special characters available via long-press of certain virtual keyboard buttons, but I am not familiar with your moon-speak

not if you want to use iTunes....etc to load your iPod.

Amdathlonuk said:
not if you want to use iTunes....etc to load your iPod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used iTunes for years!

Amdathlonuk said:
not if you want to use iTunes....etc to load your iPod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though I suppose that one might get it to work with some hacking and libimobiledevice...
Other than that, I am using an A501 (i. e. the 3g version of the A500) and a FreedomPro BT keyboard for university work every day, even doing presentations with it. To prepare slides and documents I use LaTeX running in a debian chroot (try Linux Installer) , though there are some apps that claim to be MS Office - compatible (never tried, I get a lot better results considerably faster with LaTeX).

Can you by any chance change the keyboard layout in honeycomb? Maybe remap the buttons?

If you are rooted, I think you could. I completely forgot to check out the long press and see if your special characters were there. If I go home for lunch, I will check, otherwise, I will check when I get home from my office, in about 7 hours

If you want to run MS office, forget it. If you want to re-calculate a 500mb spreadsheet, it's probably not going to do it.
The Office apps, like Polaris, QuickOffice, Docs to Go, can do simple things, like make changes and stuff. But they lack in understanding the formulas that are sometimes embedded in these documents. This is understandable.
It also does not have the raw processing power for graphics editing, audio and video encoding and conversion.
As an on the go replacement for mail, doc reviewing, and other general things, yes. It's great, and I never leave home without it. I send sms, skype, chat.
Is it a replacement, 75% yes.
---------- Post added at 08:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 PM ----------
Prozel said:
Can you by any chance change the keyboard layout in honeycomb? Maybe remap the buttons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of keyboards in the android market, with lots of functions. Most of them for free.

Moscow Desire said:
If you want to run MS office, forget it. If you want to re-calculate a 500mb spreadsheet, it's probably not going to do it.
It also does not have the raw processing power for graphics editing, audio and video encoding and conversion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Netbook can't do any of this stuff either haha. Ok I guess it can run MS Office, but these netbooks aren't really much more powerful than the current tablets.
In terms of the long press on a hardware keyboard. It's likely not going to do it as long press will just repeat the letter you are holding down (I think? I actually haven't tested that on my keybo!)
I'm using the Acer A500 hardware keyboard. It's a BT keyboard and has lots of function keys on it. I'm sure there is a way to get those letters you need to pop up.

Moscow Desire said:
Lots of keyboards in the android market, with lots of functions. Most of them for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant remap a physical keyboard.
@All thanks for your answers, still heavily considering it!

As Android maps the physical keys to their corresponding software keys by key code and not by 'letter' (whatever that may be in terms of a keyboard) remapping keys is trivial: just change your software keyboard layout to the one you want, the same way as you would do it with any other computer...

If you are going to be using it to simply take notes and such, I would say yes, it would be a good replacement for a netbook. My tablet is way faster and better than my netbook for most things. As far as the keyboard goes with the special characters, I'm not sure about physical keyboard mapping. THere are a lot of software KBs on the market that allow you to assign special characters/functions to certain buttons. I use Thumb Keyboard and it has that feature, I'm sure there are many others too. All the keyboards I've installed have multi-language support so you're probably safe. I'm assuming that they make USB/BT keyboards for your country so they should work as well.

If you use go launcher, there are a bunch of go keyboards in different languages and I am pretty sure it says danish. I use OfficeSuite Pro 5 which was a free app of the day on amazon a while ago. Definitely if you are getting the keyboard /case combo, you should be able to do a lot.

Some tweaks I would still like to see to S Notes

Here's my list of things they still need to add to S Notes to make it compete with a true note taking powerhouse like Echo Pen (this is a physical pen which takes notes on special paper, not a software but for me it is the chief competition to using S Notes all the time).
1) Have a way to record and embed a sound file anywhere within the page.
2) Make it so you can append audio notes to the end of an already recorded note page. As of now you can only delete the audio file and start over once it has been saved.
3) There is still the incredibly annoying zoom bug when writing at the bottom of the page if the user rests their palm on the screen.
4) They need to add a continuous scrolling feature to pages so that i can always be writing at the top half of the screen. Having to physically add a new page is annoying and unnecessary and forces the user to rest their palm on the bottom of the screen which causes problems.
5) Add a better highlighting feature to the pen for highlighting typed text other than choosing the highlighting marker. On typed text I prefer a nice clean straight highlighted line.
6) Please please please allow us to create our own templates? We are adults, we can handle the responsibility.
7) Allow us to add our own permanent background images. As of now you can add one and it disappears in the next session. Nonsensical.
8) Allow us to add our own text styles to the style sheet. If I choose Arial 16 point for the keyboard, stop changing me back to Roboto 22 every time I re-open S Notes. I LIKE Arial 16, got it?
9) Allow me to place the typing cursor anywhere I like by tapping the pen on the screen.
10) Since in their wisdom Samsung has decided to go with the truly obscure .snb standard (why?), please create a reader for us where we can view our S-Notes in Windows, Mac, etc environments. I have tried the various aftermarket .snb readers and so far nothing can decipher Samsung's proprietary flavor. C'mon guys, you are now competing against Windows 8, get it together.
There is so much about S-Notes that is done well and so much that seems like it would be easy to implement but they just didn't bother.
** And please no one suggest to me I try a different note-taking app. I like S-Notes, it just has some rough edges. I don't care for the way Lecture Notes interacts with the S-Pen.
Any other ideas? I plan on going to Samsung's lame Support Facebook Page and recommending these - lord I wish they had a real Forum like every other tech firm on the planet - oh well.

S Note is WIP may be some application developer work on it

samir_a said:
S Note is WIP may be some application developer work on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope so. However, of my experience with these sort of things is at all prophetic, they will end up adding features I don't care about and rarely use and not add the functionality I could use every day. The fact is none of these things I am suggesting would even be difficult as they exist in other competing products already. For some reason they simply choose not to implement. It's not that they can't they won't.

Try LectureNotes. It's far more superior.

Jonphinguyen7 said:
Try LectureNotes. It's far more superior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't like Lecture Notes. Hate the way the pen writes. I want to use S Notes because of the way it integrates with the entire ecosystem.

mitchellvii said:
Here's my list of things they still need to add to S Notes to make it compete with a true note taking powerhouse like Echo Pen (this is a physical pen which takes notes on special paper, not a software but for me it is the chief competition to using S Notes all the time).
...
10) Since in their wisdom Samsung has decided to go with the truly obscure .snb standard (why?), please create a reader for us where we can view our S-Notes in Windows, Mac, etc environments. I have tried the various aftermarket .snb readers and so far nothing can decipher Samsung's proprietary flavor. C'mon guys, you are now competing against Windows 8, get it together.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably you already know, but I recently discovered that the .snb files are just zipped compressed files. They can be unpacked with any unzip program.
Inside the archive there are many image files (.png), many .xml files, some mysterious .rels file and a .zdib file. See yourself if you feel like investigating more.
Just in case someone didn't know that...

sphere314 said:
Probably you already know, but I recently discovered that the .snb files are just zipped compressed files. They can be unpacked with any unzip program.
Inside the archive there are many image files (.png), many .xml files, some mysterious .rels file and a .zdib file. See yourself if you feel like investigating more.
Just in case someone didn't know that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But is there a reader that can view them as created on a PC?

mitchellvii said:
But is there a reader that can view them as created on a PC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know that but probably a programmer could work on it if the files archived in the .snb are not proprietary/encripted. I've some doubt about the .zdib files... I didn't find any reference on the net about this extension (apart from this other one)

mitchellvii said:
I don't like Lecture Notes. Hate the way the pen writes. I want to use S Notes because of the way it integrates with the entire ecosystem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honest man... I like it!

I wish they would just add a 'zoom lock', which I think would take care of the palm zoom problem.

sphere314 said:
I don't know that but probably a programmer could work on it if the files archived in the .snb are not proprietary/encripted. I've some doubt about the .zdib files... I didn't find any reference on the net about this extension (apart from this other one)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are .snb readers. They just don't work with Samsungs brand of .snb.
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