Database Users

Reading books/novels on the Xoom ?.

Just wondered if anyone was using their Xoom for reading ?. I have a kindle but it would nice if I was able to sell it and use the transformer for my main reading device.
I guess the screen wouldn't be ideal for the eyes but the plus point would be that you could use it to read at night without the need of a light. Also the interface is nicer than the kindle, but the weight is substantially more.
Any thought's ?

The Xoom works fine as an eReader....
Look at this thread for more info...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1094563

Yup using the kindle app to read my books. Had to use calibre to convert epubs to mobi.
It's pretty good for reading and it doesn't tire my eyes at all. Can't say about reading it in the dark because I usually leave the lights on when I'm reading in bed.

google books is great. Even if you read at night there is an option for that as well as you can change the brightntness or even make it white words on black backround

barnes and noble Nook app for android works great.
you can get it from the market, it is tablet optimised now. You can import your epub library, has night mode, 3d page turning, etc etc.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-android/379002287

gpstar said:
barnes and noble Nook app for android works great.
you can get it from the market, it is tablet optimised now. You can import your epub library, has night mode, 3d page turning, etc etc.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-android/379002287
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great thanks, I'm hoping these various book apps incorporate the landscape 2-page style google books has adopted.

yep it does well on my xoom,
but i prefer reading on my 1st generation galaxy tab

I have no frame of reference for any other eReaders, but I use my Xoom quite a bit for reading. I've used the Nook and Kindle apps and Google Books, and they all work very well.

mug2k said:
Great thanks, I'm hoping these various book apps incorporate the landscape 2-page style google books has adopted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nook app has the 2-page landscape mode. It is my prefered app for reading on my tablet. I prefer Aldiko on my EVO 4g though.

bparvin said:
The Nook app has the 2-page landscape mode. It is my prefered app for reading on my tablet. I prefer Aldiko on my EVO 4g though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The nook app isn't available for me. Any chance you could backup the apk and upload it ?.

Anyone that uses Aldiko get force closes when you switch from portrait to landscape and vice versa? Every time I switch position it force closes.

Vdubtx said:
Anyone that uses Aldiko get force closes when you switch from portrait to landscape and vice versa? Every time I switch position it force closes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's recent though...maybe since 3.1.

The XOOM has made it fun for me to read again. I totally love the Kindle app that works on the XOOM. I had gotten terribly lazy over the years about reading. Add to that, I almost have to read regularly because of my profession and the need to stay current in technology. But the XOOM has changed my attitude on everything. I've been buying and reading manuals left and right. The nice added benefit being that when I'm perhaps testing out a new process on the server, I take my XOOM with me and I can open to the proper section of the book on my XOOM. No need for carrying a bulky manual or pages of copies of extracts. I keep my entire System Administration library on my XOOM now and it's handy as all get out.
I have only one request. If the creators can add a feature so that pdf files can be imported into Kindle, I think I'll be in heaven. Some of my training materials do not come in Kindle format, but I would prefer to keep all my reading references and manuals in one place. Once pdfs can be imported, the manuals that aren't available in the Kindle store now can be on my Kindle anyway.
Sure just an e-reader may have been nice - even cute. However, to combine the resourcefulness of an e-reader with the power of a computer with extensive memory and plenty of apps that it will work in conjunction with and you have given me one seriously awesome tool. I can't fathom how tech people got along with tablets before this. Keep up the good work folks
Everybody keep on XOOMin'

mug2k said:
The nook app isn't available for me. Any chance you could backup the apk and upload it ?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R0Z7AOZQ

musashiken said:
Yup using the kindle app to read my books. Had to use calibre to convert epubs to mobi.
It's pretty good for reading and it doesn't tire my eyes at all. Can't say about reading it in the dark because I usually leave the lights on when I'm reading in bed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you sideload your books into the app?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

I don't really like the nook app because it doesn't show the covers of my side loaded books in the library. I think this has been a problem on nook for many people.
burden010 said:
How did you sideload your books into the app?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kindle only recognizes mobi format for ebooks. So you have to convert your ebooks to mobi using some software like calibre. You sideload them by copying them into the kindle folder inside the xoom internal memory.
Sometimes you need to restart the zoom for the kindle app to detect the books.

+1 for the nook app. You can import epub books easily and the brightness goes way down for reading at night. I am currently reading 1984, I started it on my phone but I couldn't get into it until I got the Xoom.

My favorite reading app so far is moon+ reader as its very comprehensive and I can log into to my calibre server and download books when I want. If they add a 2-page landscape mode it'll be perfect imo.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreader&feature=search_result

GulMiguel said:
...
I have only one request. If the creators can add a feature so that pdf files can be imported into Kindle, I think I'll be in heaven....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RepliGo is great for reading PDFs. It does a very good job with image-intensive magazines. It's very fast.

I think of the big three (Kindle app, Nook app, and Google Books) that Google Books and the Nook app are the more polished of the three, though the Kindle has the largest store. Whenever I learn of a book I want to purchase, I always check Google Books first, but to be honest, it rarely has what I'm looking for. I usually cringe and go make my purchase on Amazon.
All that aside, I think the Xoom makes a great e-reader. I actually prefer reading on LCD than Eink, because the light from the screen helps to keep me awake when I read in bed. The biggest problem with the Xoom? It's just a tad heavy. My wife has a Kindle, and it's a feather in comparison.

What do you use your KFire for?

I know there are plenty of posts about this, kewl thing is that's ok.
Feel free to comment and specify.
I use my KFire for most of these, but mainly gaming. Currently obsessing on Words with Friends. Just finished Shadowgun. Good game.

I use mine as a tablet . Everything I can want electronically that cant be done on another device
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

Is it ironic that I use it to read about uses for it?
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

cgilstrap said:
I know there are plenty of posts about this, kewl thing is that's ok.
Feel free to comment and specify.
I use my KFire for most of these, but mainly gaming. Currently obsessing on Words with Friends. Just finished Shadowgun. Good game.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really use it for much since my glaxy nexus is pretty much used for everything
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

Porn... It streams like a champ.

i read books on it. I play games on it. occasionally browse the web. Pretty much exactly what it was designed for.

Reading, note taking, drawing, music consumption, photo editing, gaming.

I used to use it for reading books - and it appears that ever since I came across this site, I use it to flash roms

Got if for my little kid, great for streaming videos, my lap and phone will saty safe for a while...

I use it for Pornography.
sent by your mom

porn really? Sorry screen is too small for me. Use my 50" lcd for that. Forgot to put reading as an option lol... guess that'll count as other. Just find reading a book on a tablet or e reader to take a lot away from the experience of reading a book for me. I need a book book. If we could get a fully fuctional rom out there that'd be great. Just seems all the ICS roms and misc other ones floating around have one or two major bugs still.

cgilstrap said:
porn really? Sorry screen is too small for me. Use my 50" lcd for that. Forgot to put reading as an option lol... guess that'll count as other. Just find reading a book on a tablet or e reader to take a lot away from the experience of reading a book for me. I need a book book. If we could get a fully fuctional rom out there that'd be great. Just seems all the ICS roms and misc other ones floating around have one or two major bugs still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM7 has been working flawlessly for me, I don't have any bugs at all with it.

wheres the "all of the above" option?

I bought mine with the intention of using it for school. A couple of the textbooks I needed were available in PDF form, and I actually saved money by buying a new gadget... win/win!
Realistically I've mostly been using it for development. I'm currently working on an app for tablets, and I don't have a tablet other than this one. I've also been trying to help out with the ICS development, and frankly this post is to help get me to the 10-post threshold so I can answer someone's question in a development thread (kind of silly if you ask me).

Web browsing, music, reading, planner, and some other stuff. Although I have to agree about the screen being too small for porn. Perhaps in an emergency situation...

RawRmon said:
Web browsing, music, reading, planner, and some other stuff. Although I have to agree about the screen being too small for porn. Perhaps in an emergency situation...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried in portrait rather than in landscape?

For messing with Android. It's cheap enough that bricking it is really not an issue.

pretty useful in class to look at the powerpoint when I can't see the projector screen
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App

un4givn85 said:
wheres the "all of the above" option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on that... I use them all.

xmtsystems said:
Porn... It streams like a champ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

Any tricks to faster PDFs on the Nook?

Hello,
I absolutely love my rooted Nook and it's been great as my first "tablet". But one thing that is quite frustrating is reading PDFs. I have several PDF magazines ranging in size from 11MB to 80MB. Simply turning a page can last for upwards of 10 seconds. Considering the number of ads in these things, it could be a full minute just to get to a page with real content.
Is there anything I can do to improve the performance like tweak the Nook or even convert the files into something friendlier while keeping the layout? I've set my idle speed at 600MHz but it's not really noticeable.
Any help would be appreciated.

What software are you using? I just downloaded a 34MB Consumer Reports PDF and flipped through it with ezPDF Reader. It flips pages quickly and smoothly. Never more an a second or two.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk

One more Thumb up for EZpdf.
Fast and nice pdf viewer.
Produced by NookColor at ICS AOKP 4.0.4

RASTAVIPER said:
One more Thumb up for EZpdf.
Fast and nice pdf viewer.
Produced by NookColor at ICS AOKP 4.0.4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more for ezpdf.
Sent from my NookColor using xda app-developers app

Man oh man. Me thinks I'm going insane! I should have specified I was using ezPDF, (v1.4.2.1). I since tried using the actual Adobe Reader and it's just night and day. When you are all using ezPDF, are you "turning" the pages or is it set to scroll down?

DlickSeals said:
Man oh man. Me thinks I'm going insane! I should have specified I was using ezPDF, (v1.4.2.1). I since tried using the actual Adobe Reader and it's just night and day. When you are all using ezPDF, are you "turning" the pages or is it set to scroll down?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With me I am turning pages. If you aren't in a big hurry to flip thru a bunch of pages, it loads the next page while you are reading the page you are on. If you want to move through the document quickly, use the page icons on the bottom. Flipping too many pages at once slows it down.
And I am on ezPdf Pro version 1.6.0.0. 1.4.2.1 is pretty old. They said they improved performance with newer versions.
And night and day meaning which is better?

leapinlar said:
With me I am turning pages. If you aren't in a big hurry to flip thru a bunch of pages, it loads the next page while you are reading the page you are on. If you want to move through the document quickly, use the page icons on the bottom. Flipping too many pages at once slows it down.
And I am on ezPdf Pro version 1.6.0.0. 1.4.2.1 is pretty old. They said they improved performance with newer versions.
And night and day meaning which is better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey All,
Sorry about that - meant night/day in the sense that Adobe is muuuuch faster. Even the option of using ezPDF's scroll icons takes forever to load. I realize that I'm referring more to "eMags" than PDF books, but the performance in this video is ideal and sort of sounds like it's what you are all experiencing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPNqa8cS0Sw
I want to use this so badly...

Mantano Reader > Adobe Reader > Ezpdf reader (Really not that good)

Gin1212 said:
Mantano Reader > Adobe Reader > Ezpdf reader (Really not that good)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

leapinlar said:
And I am on ezPdf Pro version 1.6.0.0. 1.4.2.1 is pretty old. They said they improved performance with newer versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even 1.6.0.0 is old. I'm up to 1.9.4.0.
I think its faster if you turn off the page turn animation. I don't have a problem but mostly I'm looking at books, not magazines.

I could never get ezpdf to be even close to usable. I wanted the functions, but couldn't stand looking at that loading circle any longer.
If you want to try a somewhat out of the box suggestion, try Perfect Viewer with the pdf plug-in. It is primarily an image viewer, so if you want highlighting or whatever, it is not going to be for you.
But with the option to fit page to width in landscape, it is perfect for reading pdf books, I think. There are a bunch of different fit page options.
Full features are free, there is a donate version which is just for those who want to give.

DlickSeals said:
Hello,
I absolutely love my rooted Nook and it's been great as my first "tablet". But one thing that is quite frustrating is reading PDFs. I have several PDF magazines ranging in size from 11MB to 80MB. Simply turning a page can last for upwards of 10 seconds. Considering the number of ads in these things, it could be a full minute just to get to a page with real content.
Is there anything I can do to improve the performance like tweak the Nook or even convert the files into something friendlier while keeping the layout? I've set my idle speed at 600MHz but it's not really noticeable.
Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually agree with you and I prefer using ezPDF. Everyone I've talked to so far says to get a better-performing SD card so I made a post about which SD card is the fastest here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=29158973
I'm the same as you--I have a lot of large .pdf files, but there's a bigger problem almost nobody has mentioned on any forum and it exists in every version of ezPDF I've tried so far, including 1.9.5.0 and the latest which I'm using now, 1.9.5.3. The problem is when searching for a book, you can't read the text--only a picture of the cover (if you have one) comes up. Here's a screenshot directly from my Nook Tablet:
http://home.comcast.net/~nirvgorilla/nook ezpdf.png
There is nothing you can do about speed except find the fastest SD card and the speed has nothing to do apparently with Class 4 or Class 10. I don't know the real answer so I'm not going to spread misinformation, but if you find the best information, be sure to let us know because I definitely want better-performing pdfs even if it is a 32GB card.

I tryed every pdf/epub reader that is on the market, and im surprised no one here suggest repligo. For PDF reading, be it scanned pdf or normal but heavier (30mb+) pdf, it's the fastest and the one with better and best looking text reflow. ezPDF it's a lot worse.
Let's just say that repligo is the only one that read everything i throw at it, and even on my old little lgp500 i can read bulky pdf. On the nook it's perfect. Give it a go!

Adobe Reader
I have the same issue with ez pdf - loading the next page takes forrreeeeevvvveerrr. i found that adobe reader loads the entire pdf at once and you can scroll with no lag.

Annotate PDFs in S-Note

I've seen a couple threads asking for PDF anootation apps and most of the suggestions have been ezpdf reader and I annotate , which don't get me wrong , are great but the are kind of limited in with the whole layers thing.
I don't if this is a known feature but snote allows you to import pdfs and jpgs and write on top of them like you would a normal snote..except now there is full palm rejection, highlighting, etc
All you did is open snote, click menu on the top right, click import, and choose pdf. Ignore me if I'm being Mr obvious but I don't think I've seen this mentioned.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Yeah, you can also export it to PDF again when you're done if people weren't aware.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

The only problem that I have found is that the pdf's have to be fairly small in size otherwise s note seems to crash when trying to import them.

Along HasC's line, S Note is not exactly efficient size-wise. I want to annotate PDFs for class, but importing a 20mb PDF file turns it into an 80mb file :-/

but i have FC with pdf file of size 1.6 Mb, of pages 200+ for S note....

What about just annotating in ezPDF. Anyone try that?

grimloktt said:
What about just annotating in ezPDF. Anyone try that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works great. I've been trying to force myself to use iAnnotate since it seems theyre a Samsung partner so maybe more likely to get multiscreen utility at some point, but keep going back to EZPDF because it just works better and more logically.

Good news/bad news. Polaris handles big PDF files well. We have 4.0, the latest version. Annotation was introduced as a feature but I can't get it to work. I e-mailed them asking what's up.
Here's something cool you can do with text in PDF's in Polaris. You can send text to S-Note (or drag it from one window to another in multi-view) or copy it from a PDF in to a .docx file using the persistant clipboard.

BarryH_GEG said:
Good news/bad news. Polaris handles big PDF files well. We have 4.0, the latest version. Annotation was introduced as a feature but I can't get it to work. I e-mailed them asking what's up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didnt have any trouble annotating .ppt files in polaris. It did struggle with very large presentations (was runnimg through an 80 page slide deck and the last 10 had very low resolution when going through in order... resolved by exiting slideshow mode and selecting 70th slide thumbnail and restarting presentation there.)

I get FC every time I try to import pdf no matter what size.
Skickat från min GT-N8000 via Tapatalk 2

Monterat said:
I get FC every time I try to import pdf no what matter size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just imported a 178 page PDF. It took about two minutes but there weren't any issues. Are you using "import" from the S-Note home page settings drop down? Do you have 2D h/w acceleration enabled in the developer options? It screwed up the stock e-mail client for people so maybe it's affecting S-Note also.

I also had some FCs myself after attempting this. My tab in S-Note kept giving me options of what i wanted to open the pdf in - ezPDF, Polaris, Kno and one other which i can't remember - but no option for Snote. I eventually kept trying to load other ones, until it crashed twice and then it took about a minute to load 65 pages. Not sure what was causing the problem
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Has anyone else tried to load large pdf's, like a blue print? S note will do the import for me but nothing shows up in the file when I open it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Weird.. I just imported a 175mb PDF textbook no problems. Took like less than 5 minutes
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

sledgie said:
I also had some FCs myself after attempting this. My tab in S-Note kept giving me options of what i wanted to open the pdf in - ezPDF, Polaris, Kno and one other which i can't remember - but no option for Snote. I eventually kept trying to load other ones, until it crashed twice and then it took about a minute to load 65 pages. Not sure what was causing the problem
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just make sure the radio button for the pdf you want to import is checked then click done in the upper right corner. Kinda confusing at first if your not looking for that.

bobdude5 said:
Weird.. I just imported a 175mb PDF textbook no problems. Took like less than 5 minutes
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am able to do textbooks and large amounts of pages fine, the blue print is a large format though, 11x17'ish.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

I tried importing a PDF... not super huge (1.5 mb, 7 pages), but it still took a noticeable number of seconds. Then, when it did display, none of the figures showed up and the fonts looked funny (sorta squished).
Not going to work for me, sadly.

like i stated in the other thread, imported an 80MB or 1200 page pdf to S-note...took about 30 minutes? but no FCs

My S Note crash every time too regardless of size of the PDF. Reading other xda posts seem that I am not the only one, but yet I cannot find a solution. Does anyone know why? I ensured "Do not keep activities" is unticked, but it doesn't solve the problem. Please help

I can't get S-Note to open up PDF files as well... Everytime I try, it keeps trying to redirect me to an external app (be it Polaris, iAnnotate, etc.)

[Q] Any pdf viewer that shows 2 pages side by side in landscape

Looked online, some people mentioned EBookDroid, but it doesn't seem to work on N10 to show two pages from a pdf side by side in landscape. Can anybody get it working or any other pdf viewer. Thanks

I'm curious about this too. It would really help.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

Ezpdf reader is what you need. 70p on play store
You need to select double page view in options.
It works but I think it needs optimization as it's a little laggy. I found sometimes the page turn stops working. Runs better on my s3.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Forget about ezpdf, lags like hell
I use adobe reader, it shows two pages in landscape if you want, and if you enable "force GPU render" in dev mode, it runs extremely smooth. Only one thing bad, it should have page transtitions with a great visual like Play Books, but as far as i've tested with ~30mb scanned pages pdfs, it runs extremely smooth (the only reader smooth i've found)

Straf said:
Forget about ezpdf, lags like hell
I use adobe reader, it shows two pages in landscape if you want, and if you enable "force GPU render" in dev mode, it runs extremely smooth. Only one thing bad, it should have page transtitions with a great visual like Play Books, but as far as i've tested with ~30mb scanned pages pdfs, it runs extremely smooth (the only reader smooth i've found)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you fix it to show two pages at once? I can only get it to show one page, the setup only allows me to choose if I want to scroll the pages horisontally or vertically.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

Olaeli said:
How do you fix it to show two pages at once? I can only get it to show one page, the setup only allows me to choose if I want to scroll the pages horisontally or vertically.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not possible with Adobe reader, usw ezpdf.

mag13 said:
Thats not possible with Adobe reader, usw ezpdf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Straf insists on that Adobe Reader can do it, that's why I asked.
If the ezpdf aint working without lag, how will it react to my 4-500 pages pdf-files?
Well, it's worth a try.

Olaeli said:
Well, Straf insists on that Adobe Reader can do it, that's why I asked.
If the ezpdf aint working without lag, how will it react to my 4-500 pages pdf-files?
Well, it's worth a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I also couldn't find the developer mode or gpu rendering options in adobe.

mustafansu said:
Well I also couldn't find the developer mode or gpu rendering options in adobe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The developer mode is probably the one in Android.
You need to go into settings, scroll down to About tablet, then click "Version" 7 times to unlock.

Olaeli said:
Well, Straf insists on that Adobe Reader can do it, that's why I asked.
If the ezpdf aint working without lag, how will it react to my 4-500 pages pdf-files?
Well, it's worth a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use ezpdf for books having more than 500 pages and its working realy good. Uncheck page flipping in settings.

mag13 said:
I use ezpdf for books having more than 500 pages and its working realy good. Uncheck page flipping in settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that helped.
Is there a way to increase the amount of buffering?
I use large RPG-books and I need more than 2 pages preloaded to make things smooth.

Srry guys, i've rechecked and theres no dual page in adobe reader, i tested about 5 apps in a row and though i had found it in adobe one, but no it doesn't, my bad.
I'll try that option in ezpdf to check if performance is way better. In fact, the only application that worked properly was adobe reader, office suits were specially unresponsive. If any application would work as fluid as Play books... those page transitions are amazing

Moon reader does dual page landscape for pdfs.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

The moon reader feels faster, but cost five times more.
Thanks for the tip.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

eZpdf Reader has this feature.

Indeed EzPDFReader can do this, it's personally m fav PDF reader.
"We think so supersonic and we make our bombs atomic" - Eagle Fly Free (Helloween)
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

I use officesuite 7, very happy with it.