[Q] eTextbooks - Nook Touch General

How functional is viewing eTextbooks on the Nook Simple Touch if rooted?
I haven't rooted my Touch yet, but I was hoping for the ability to read my college textbooks on my touch.
I downloaded some books for my classes next semester and put them on the touch yesterday. However, the formatting is pretty awful, lol.
Does rooting help solve this problem?
It would be awesome to be able to read all my textbooks at little to no cost and the portability of the nook touch.

If your textbooks are in PDF, rooting may improve reading a little bit, as you'd be able to use apps such as ezpdf (it was 0.10 USD yesterday), which allows you to read pdf files in landscape mode, which improve reading quite a bit, and you can also highlight and add notes to your text.
If you use epub books, I guess original nook reader is quite good, but you can also profit from rooting, by using other readers, such as fbreader or coolreader.

pdf was never intended for what it is used for now which is why its such a pain in the ass on smaller screens.
there's quite a few pdf readers to choose from and they work pretty good.
still, its better to republish in an electronic format because pdf is meant to be an electronic approximation of the printed word. republishing from electronic to electronic such as html allows for reading on different screens

I've rooted mine and with the use of ezpdf have used it for reading for school.

apeine said:
If your textbooks are in PDF, rooting may improve reading a little bit, as you'd be able to use apps such as ezpdf (it was 0.10 USD yesterday), which allows you to read pdf files in landscape mode, which improve reading quite a bit, and you can also highlight and add notes to your text.
If you use epub books, I guess original nook reader is quite good, but you can also profit from rooting, by using other readers, such as fbreader or coolreader.
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GabrialDestruir said:
I've rooted mine and with the use of ezpdf have used it for reading for school.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I will have to give ezpdf a try.

Related

[Q] Experience of reading books on transformer

Hi
I am confused...
I just spent a day with the iPad2 and a Galaxy Tab (the first edition) have to say I was very impressed with reading PDF books from the iPad but not so much from the Galaxy which is running 2.2
I am Android through and through and want to stick with an Android but want the experience I had with the iPad2 when it comes to reading ebooks from it.
I have been looking around and the Asus Transformer looks impressive with a decent price.... I also know it has Honeycomb as I understand its more tailored for tablets than the previous versions and the experience is far better. Much better than what I have used with 2.2. One thing from my research that lets Android down is there are not many apps which are tablet ready but slowly this will come.... That's not too much of an issue for me as my primary use will be ebook reading and internet use.
I dont see the point in buying just an ebook reader, for a few extra hundred I can get something which will offer a lot more and features that I would make use off.
If anyone uses the transformer as a book reader. What are you thoughts?? Is the experience good. I held one the other day in a shop and it felt initially quite bulky but I suppose I could get used to that....
Thanks
I bought the transformer to use it as an ebook reader, and i can tell you its really good.
there are some very nice ebook reading programs like the stock mylibrary which is basically like iBooks, and there is aldiko which i highly reccomand, because you can set text size, color and marging and page color etc. to make the reading comfortable.
i read a few books from it and with the right brightness/color setting it wont hurt your eyes too much or something like this. the text is crisp and nice and reading is in general a pleasant experience from the transformer screen.
I've been using the kindle reader. Great for reading 4 books so far. And quick to get new books. Have it on my desire HD too so I can put the eee pad down go out and read a few pages while out and about.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I agree im currently writing an ebook and tested out various formats on various apps on the TF overall quite a good experience when reading
I settled on Moon+ reader, so far I have had no issues.
If you want to read e-books, then do not buy this product. IPS panel is not intended for reading but the comic is a nice read. If you want to read, then buy an electronic book reader.
Try for example, to read for several hours on a computer screen. It is not easy (eyes will to hurt).
It's definitely nice as a book reader. I finished the entire Storm of Swords book on this one,so I can vouch for its useability
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Truthfully it is not a great ereader. The form factor is good for magazine and PDF but not for books. Also very reflective in bright light and not dim enough in darkness.
What was wrong with original galaxy tab?
My nook color is my default reader over my transformer as its screen while same tech has higher contrast less glare and can get it darker for night reading.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Count me in the group confirming that it's great for eBooks. I use Google's own Books app, and am currently reading my fourth entire novel on the Transformer. The screen dims enough to be comfortable for me even with white pages in a completely dark room, but is bright enough to read basically anywhere I'd be comfortable trying to read in the first place. No, it's not *quite* as easy on the eye as a dedicated reader, but it also does a whole hell of a lot more, and frankly the page-turning motion in Google's app makes it feel more like a book than the dedicated readers do to me.
Just so you know I've got enough experience to know what I'm talking about, here's what I've read on the Transformer, in order. They're all paperback versions, based on the ISBN numbers. All of these were read for the first time, so I didn't skim them, I read them properly:
* Terry Jones: Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic (257 pages, I'm an old-school Douglas Adams fan who finally decided I should give the novelization of his game a try.)
* Tom Clancy: The Hunt for Red October (499 pages, been meaning to read Clancy for years and never got around to it. Was happy with my first eBook experience, so gave it a try.)
* Tom Clancy: Red Storm Rising (637 pages, liked my first Clancy experience, so stuck with it.)
* Tom Clancy: Patriot Games (518 pages, I'm currently about 200 pages in, accounting for the differences in page numbering because the books reflow to fit the screen orientation / selected font size and spacing.)
So in total, I've read almost 1,600 paperback pages on the Transformer since May 4th -- and all of the Clancy was within the last month (I was on an overseas vacation for the Jones book, so read it much more slowly.) That means I average about 50 paperback pages per day on the Transformer since returning from my trip, which I couldn't do if it wasn't comfortable.
I thought it may help what my usage will be for reading books on a Transformer.
I am an IT professional and do a lot of self training reading IT reference books (majority in PDF form) and I use a my PC to actually do the tasks mentioned in the book.
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes....
Does that make sense??
I don't intend to be reading novels but mainly for research and training guides..and this won't be on a daily basis either..
Thanks
PatrikSelin said:
If you want to read e-books, then do not buy this product. IPS panel is not intended for reading but the comic is a nice read. If you want to read, then buy an electronic book reader.
Try for example, to read for several hours on a computer screen. It is not easy (eyes will to hurt).
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I think this is a bit misleading. ANY device with any kind of LCD panel won't be as comfortable for longer reading sessions as an e-Ink reader. It also won't be as good in direct sunlight. That's not an indictment of the TF itself, which is excellent as an ebook reader compared with other tablets of similar size (and the few ounces difference of, say, the iPad 2 or GT 10.1 won't stop one from wanting to prop it on something after awhile).
I have a Nook 3G reader, and I do prefer to read on it for longer sessions and when I have sufficient light (because of course it has no backlighting). I also use the Nook for reading late at night, because theory says it's best to avoid emissive screens like tablets, notebooks, TVs, etc. right before going to sleep.
Another good use for the TF is if you're reading books that you need to annotate. Works great in the Nook app (and Kindle, for that matter), and notes and highlights sync to other devices.
So, in short, the TF's as good as any other 10.1" or so tablet, and better than a few because the IPS screen allows for more flexible viewing angles.
ranjb said:
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes....
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Ah! Pretty much the perfect way to use the TF as an ereader. I wanted to point out what size of books you would be holding with different devices, but if the plan isn't to actually hold the TF.... well, awesome
Still, I took a picture:
http://i54.tinypic.com/210f4hu.jpg
Those are a 2nd generation Kindle, a 7" Galaxy Tab, and obviously a Transformer. The books behind have (roughly) the same weight as the device in front of them. There is an audio cd to compare size. The Kindle is 294 grams, the Galaxy Tab 382 and the Asus 695.
That said, the Kindle sucks for anything that isn't an ebook, especially PDFs
For novels eink readers are your best bet. For graphic novels or textbook you can't go wrong with a tablet. It should be worth noting eink readers of 5in and bigger can be used to read black and white comic by using epubbuilder and importing each image as a standalone chapter in epub format.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
frosty5689 said:
It should be worth noting eink readers of 5in and bigger can be used to read black and white comic by using epubbuilder and importing each image as a standalone chapter in epub format.
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Didn't know that. However, this is what i know http://foosoft.net/mangle/ the Kindle can read images and that software is made for the exact purpose of optimizing them so to read manga/comics very easily.
Still, the Kindle is a trainwreck with PDFs that aren't just an image or just text, so it dosen't really help the OP.
I spent about six hours yesterday reading a book using the kindle app and I was pretty pleased with it.
Canadoc said:
not dim enough in darkness.
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I use Screen Filter to make my screen dimmer when reading in darkness.
ranjb said:
I am an IT professional and do a lot of self training reading IT reference books (majority in PDF form) and I use a my PC to actually do the tasks mentioned in the book.
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say it'd be great for that. Adobe's PDF viewer is free and fast / stable for me, if you're working on a PC LCD then having a similar tech on the tablet would be a positive advantage (set similar brightness and your eyes don't need to adjust looking back and forth, unlike an eReader screen). Only potential issue is reflections from bright office lights, depending on the environment where you're planning to use it, although if you have a good adjustable stand you can affix the tab to, that's easily solved (and if I can use the tab outdoors in bright ambient light, which I can, I'm sure anything indoors is workable.)
It's great for reading books, Kindle app is the same as on iPad. Brightness can be dim enough to not affect wife sleeping next to me, especially on Sepia background.
All ebook readers on the iPad are available for Andriod, just pick one you like. Due to competing formats, you may end up with three ore more, depending where you buy books or download epubs/pdfs.
The only thing I would ever replace this with is a Kindle DX, but who wants to pay that much for a tech toy that does only one thing? For the same price, I have a full blown tablet running Andriod OS.
It of course will not be as easy on the eyes as e-ink technology, nor look good in bright sunlight. Then again, who reads in bright sun? That's why we have trees!

Iconia as an eReader

Anyone here use the Iconia as an eReader (among other things)? I was thinking of getting the Nook Color since I need a reader, but since with the Target deal this is only 50 dollars more expensive, the Iconia suddenly became tempting. I'm worried about the size and weight though. Is it easy to read for 1-2 hours straight? I tried one at BB and after 15-20 minutes it was still OK, but I wonder if it isn't too heavy/awkward to read on.
Please post your experiences about using eReaders on the Iconia
I've read a couple of books on mine, they were purchased through google market and read with google books. I enjoyed using it this way and will do so in the future. As far as weight goes, the tab isn't any heavier than a good sized hard back book. I use the acer cover which has a built in stand so that helps with the weight as well.
The big question is how your eyes hold up to the lcd screen. The eink displays cause much less eye strain and are fully viewable in sunlight, the tabs screen will definitely give some eye strain if used for hours on end, and will be less visible in sun light.
Edit: the nook color is an lcd screen as well.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
harveydent said:
Anyone here use the Iconia as an eReader (among other things)? I was thinking of getting the Nook Color since I need a reader, but since with the Target deal this is only 50 dollars more expensive, the Iconia suddenly became tempting. I'm worried about the size and weight though. Is it easy to read for 1-2 hours straight? I tried one at BB and after 15-20 minutes it was still OK, but I wonder if it isn't too heavy/awkward to read on.
Please post your experiences about using eReaders on the Iconia
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That's WHOLLY dependant on personal taste. I do not find it too heavy even for 4-5 hour reading session, I often have such streaks when I'm reading stuff, but I also know many other people who would find to bit too heavy.
One thing that would make it better as primarily an eReader though would be non-slippery back, like for example gluing a really thin sheet of porous gum on it. It might not look as fancy, but it would be much easier to hold even with one hand.
Dusto79 said:
and will be less visible in sun light.
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From my experience it's wholly unusable in sun light.
Thanks for the replies!
The sunlight glare isn't a concern since ALL LCD tablets have that problem, to varying degrees.
How does it handle pdfs? And any good ereader apps aside from the Amazon/Nook/Google apps?
harveydent said:
How does it handle pdfs? And any good ereader apps aside from the Amazon/Nook/Google apps?
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There's plenty of software for reading PDFs, just try them all and choose the one you like the best
Can't help you with ereader apps though, I don't use those. I am 100% PDF.
It really depends on what you are planing on reading. If it's mostly text based stuff (novels, etc.), an eInk display is the hands down winner. Once you start tossing PDFs and CBRs into the mix then a color LCD tablet becomes a better option.
I have both so I'll chime in.
If you're purchasing a LED Ebook reader then go for Iconia.
But if you're looking for an eInk display then go for it. The battery on Iconia is awsome but even a great battery can't compare to an eInk display.
The other thing is reading in sunlight and eye strain. I love both my ebook and Iconia but I mostly read books on ebook.
Edit: I forgot to mention. If you're into comics or anything that has lots of pictures than stick to a tablet.
I sold my Nook color after I got the a500. I find reading on either to be about the same - however web browsing is much better on the Acer. At first I didn't know if I would like the side by side view while holding the Acer in landscape but it quickly grew on me. I agree if you are considering LCD get the Acer - if you like eink don't consider the Acer.
I have an Iconia and a Kindle3.
While I can read on my tab, the kindle provides a much better reading experience for me. I do get eye strain from my tab in about an hours time- I read on the eink display without any strain at all for hours. The difference is all about the lcd vs. eink. I personally, never considered the weight of either an issue. I must be the only one that rests their book/tab/reader on something while they read our use it. If I read in bed I stand the reader upon my chest. If I'm surfing the internet I rest the tab up on my lap while on the sofa or on the table while sitting. Weight is not an issue for me either way. Ultimately I use the tab for recreational purposes (email, internet, games) and the reader to read. I wouldn't want to give either up.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I've been using mine to read books on Nook and also Moon+ Reader. It works pretty well, just a tad on the heavy side for me.
Google jetbook lite if you want something portable and 100% readable under full sunlight. I've been using this for years. Works great. The best part of this is it reads just about every ebook format under the sun. Even the highly priced kindle can't do this.
Eye Strain
I can tolerate reading on my Iconia, but I do not like the glare from room lights when I read at night. Weight is not an issue. E books are great. I may eventually buy a Nook or kindle with e ink. However, tablets can do so much more than e readers. I have no regrets about my Iconia purchase.
I have used this, a nook color and a sony reader (eink). I prefer this to the other two. I do a lot for my reading in low light situations, so the eink is kind of a pain in this situation since it needs an external light. The nook color is nice for reading, but I don't like it as much for web and tablet functions. The only reason I still keep the nc around is android can't support nook kids books yet.
I usually use the nook app to read books and get them from barnes and noble. Bn gives away a free book every Friday. And I've been reading a lot of them.
The weight has not been a big issue for me.
Hope this helped
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
harveydent said:
Thanks for the replies!
And any good ereader apps aside from the Amazon/Nook/Google apps?
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FBReader is my personal fav + Calibre on the PC to do conversions to epub.
I have an original nook (eink, preiously had a sony ebook) and an iconia. I find the eink displays superior to the iconia for reading ebook formatted files made to reflow, and makes for easier reading in general. The tablet is superior for most pdfs, largely owing t the screen size (as most pdfs as formatted for 8.5"x11").
I had question regarding this actually. I'm trying to collate all the ebooks ive downloaded from various sources into one app I can use for reading (i was thinking lumiread). I was wondering if there is a way to do this for books downloaded from the borders australia android app. specifically, in which directory would the books be located so I can read them in lumiread
holdup said:
I had question regarding this actually. I'm trying to collate all the ebooks ive downloaded from various sources into one app I can use for reading (i was thinking lumiread). I was wondering if there is a way to do this for books downloaded from the borders australia android app. specifically, in which directory would the books be located so I can read them in lumiread
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I believe lumiread is one of the readers that lets you go into settings and choose what folders to scan for ebooks, AND you can exclude folders, which is really nice.
In terms of features and how they perform, Lumiread is one of my favorite readers.
Nook would be #2 and Kindle #3.
They all are similar. Lumiread has the eye candy presentation of your "books" on shelves like the ipad, but that's all personal taste of course.
To answer the ops question, its a great ereader. Eink is still better for strictly reading ebooks at long sessions, but the iconia is a great option if you are looking for an LCD device. I find the trade off between weight a very viable option because of everything else it can do.
Acer is coming out with a 7" tablet soon, so if weight is a HUGE factor for you, you could go for that. If you go with a Kindle, you are stuck with Amazon books only tho, you can't sideload books yourself.
There are also some great news reader apps on Android and they make magazines and newspapers unbelievably AWESOME if you are looking for other things to read.
Hope all this helps. I have about 200 books on mine.
It sounds like a plan, but if you are a hard core reader its not a good one
Yes of course there are some fantastic apps out there for reading via the iconia, and they look (and sound) fantastic, but at the end of the day the iconia or any other tablet is NOT an ereader.
As for the nook, again it is abit in-between, with that colour screen etc.
In short, I have a kindle. It looks rubbish, is grey scale and can do nothin but show text!
But thers's the trick. Read inside or outside, it is light, you can put your own downloaded books on to it, there is a hack to put your own cover/screen/personalise it. It is very light, can play mp3 externally or via headphones while you read and off-course last but not least - 30 days of CONTINUOUS READING without recharge!!! Now that is an ereader right there.
A kindle and a samsung galacy 10.1 (or an iconia wearing galaxy brains rom) and you are good to go.
Now you can show your missus this post and you will have a good excuse to let her know that you actually need both
Enjoy
MJ-12
MJ-12 said:
and can do nothin but show text!
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That's something why I could never use one of those devices: I read a lot of technical books that require the ability to show images. Oh, and yes, I do read comics and manga too

Why do you want to root your Nook Touch?

Just bought Nook Touch myself. Still have rooted CM7 Nook Color but wanted a simpler, distraction-free book reader and the promotion price at B&N was unbeatable (well, as I've also learned Best Buy has even better deal for the same price but with AC adapter and 2GB card thrown in).
I am usually, root first, think second kind of guy, but with Nook Touch I really want a reader-centric experience and I am happy that, B&N delivers here. Gone are Sudoku and Chess, gone is music player (and speaker in general). What's left is one of the best e-Ink screens in the business and super light, very responsive book reader.
So what drives you guys to root this thing? It will never hold a candle to true tablet even after CM7 port. The videos that I've seen so far of the rooted Nook Touches are borderline pathetic in how bad the experience is. Besides the geeky 'look what I can do' kind of stuff, nothing has any application in day to day experience. Yes, I would be able to load Aldiko and, my personal favorite, Moon+ reader on this device but why? To enable landscape orientation and night mode? They are not needed on the device that is so light and requires external source of light anyway. For any real application besides readers, the screen refresh rate is non-usable and will never be.
I must be missing something...
Well, let me see:
Live sync of books and files with dropbox and dropsync, amazon books with kindle, coolreader for even more format support (or any other as moon reader), better pdf support with ezPDF Reader (or any other free or not pdf app), overdrive for public ebooks, Mango manga reader for online manga and or mangawhat and Perfect Viewer for photos or cbr, etc files, rss feeds, light internet with opera mini or mobile, and many other things...... even light old games as chess or 4 in line or card games are playable. Modifying fonts, adding new ones, I don't know XD, many things are possible with this device.
Of course this isn't a tablet, it's an ereader, for reading, but rooting just makes it expand where other ereaders cant go, and of course brake its own limitations for example, why the hell didn't they add landscape mode? Now you can use it.
Usb audio will also come when usb hostmode is finished, after the kernel is properly built
So why rooting?
Well, if the limitations of the device are tolerable for you, and you wont do any manga, or other format reading, dont root.
If you want to expand its operability, root, and of course you havent got to play angry birds (nobody does).
What ed said. I just like having a single e-ink reader that can handle so many different ereading platforms.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
I rooted it to use the dictionaries I needed with the fora dictionary app or colordict
I'm french so it's a revolution for me to be able to read an english book with the dictionary I chose, just selecting the word :O
I learnt so much English with my android devices,
But the eink quality of reading and battery life with the freedom and the possibilities of android is just awesome!
Sent from my GT-P1010
Out of curiosity, how do color comic books look on this thing? Let's say the latest issue of Superman in cbr or cbz format? Sometimes the text in the bubbles can be tough to read. My understanding is that the new Nook ST doesn't have multi-touch. Does that make contant zooming in/out painful?
viniosity said:
Out of curiosity, how do color comic books look on this thing? Let's say the latest issue of Superman in cbr or cbz format? Sometimes the text in the bubbles can be tough to read. My understanding is that the new Nook ST doesn't have multi-touch. Does that make contant zooming in/out painful?
Click to expand...
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For comics its best to use Perfect viewer, if you know the layout and config it correctly there is no problem for zooming
I find coloured comics easy to read, other people may differ, they just appear as normal b/w ones.
https://androidmarket.googleusercon...et/com.rookiestudio.perfectviewer/ss-480-3-12
IMO, CoolReader is hands-down the best eBook reading software I have used. It works fantastically on the nook touch after root and gives the option to set the book's cover as your standby screen (instead of dead authors, etc). Aside from the few other apps I use, I would do it just for this.
One word: Calibre recipes auto-downloaded synced with dropbox, one touch sync to Nook Simple Touch with Dropsync.
Every morning I can hit that button and have ePub versions of my blogs, newpapers, etc. automatically downloaded to my Nook. Awesome.
You're right - I don't see much use in some of the traditional Android apps that you would use on a regular screen... the occasional IMDB lookup with that app and wikipedia lookup with the Opera browser also come in handy...
But mainly Calibre Recipes with dropsync.
Wow, Calibre looks really cool. Can you go into a bit more detail on how you use it with dropbox? Is it just that you set the default Library to your dropbox folder or is it something more?
I've rooted mine so I don't have to convert Kindle books, nor plug it into my computer to add books, or even to get books from the library using Overdrive. I've read a few Manga and other graphic novels on the device, its meh for that. Colours are so important, I feel like I'm robbing the artist by only seeing the work in greyscale.
I've done a few videos showing it off, here's a general one. If you're interested in what Manga looks like with the Mango reader, I have a video for that
http://youtu.be/mnfqD1lqL9g
i don't have an android phone so this allowed me to play with android for the 1st time.
It also help me sell the ipad2 that felt like a toy.
i wanted control. in addition to the reasons above there's rss feed reader and readitlater that i use to read this forum sometimes.
What i really want is a phone with eink display....
I admit the unique applications of a rooted eink android are not massive but for me my eyes find eink a lot easier to read.
The nook has tide me over delayed the upgrade cycle to a galaxy. This way i can wait until smart phones have 3 days battery life or eink like display i'm waiting for.
i also got ms word read/write support if i need it plus excel. With all this i should be able to carry the nook with all my docs.
guitar_east said:
I've rooted mine so I don't have to convert Kindle books, nor plug it into my computer to add books, or even to get books from the library using Overdrive. I've read a few Manga and other graphic novels on the device, its meh for that. Colours are so important, I feel like I'm robbing the artist by only seeing the work in greyscale.
I've done a few videos showing it off, here's a general one. If you're interested in what Manga looks like with the Mango reader, I have a video for that
[url
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Why I wanted to root my Nook touch.
A minor bit of thread necromancy here, reaching back to last month.
My top 5 reasons for rooting the nook touch were:
A PDF viewer with zoom and graphics only modes for non-OCR or poorly OCR'd books.
Dropbox sync.
Word, Excel, and PPt viewers.
.chm file viewers
Renaming files from 02658x42.doc to "Widget Technical reference manual".
Since I've done it, I also got the following working and love it even more.
Offline Wikipedia a la WikiReader.
Mobile boarding passes.
Sudoku.
Password Protection.
Standby display text "This nook belongs to <name>. Please call her at <number> and return it for a non-trivial reward, gratitude, and karma."
Thanks everyone for making the nook touch even more awesome.
On a grossly unrelated note, +1 the xdadevelopers noob video. That was great.
The reasons for rooting my nook:
A better pdf reader
cbz,cbr support
Docs support
ICS keyboard
Really? The battery-life and eInk quality improves when rooted?
Hey, I am pretty much satisfied with what the nook touch does, but then I would like whatever it does to be done better
And since reading eBooks is all that I want to do in the nook, I am REALLY interested with the possibility of improving the battery life and especially the eInk quality... Also I HATE the Marriam Webster dictionary that comes with the stock nook.
Can you quickly point me in the right direction for a better eInk display profile and replacing stock with the kindle Oxford dictionary without adversely affecting the battery life?
Please any help is appreciated
stockhomer said:
I rooted it to use the dictionaries I needed with the fora dictionary app or colordict
I'm french so it's a revolution for me to be able to read an english book with the dictionary I chose, just selecting the word :O
I learnt so much English with my android devices,
But the eink quality of reading and battery life with the freedom and the possibilities of android is just awesome!
Sent from my GT-P1010
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reasons I rooted:
[*]Just for the heck of it
[*]Dropbox sync
[*]Being allowed to use it during school (Me: "It's essentially a book." Teacher: "ok")
[*]To become part of a great community which is XDA
brendan10211 said:
[*]Being allowed to use it during school (Me: "It's essentially a book." Teacher: "ok")
Click to expand...
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LMAO, best way to pass exams XD!!!!!!! that made my day xD
darkguy2008 said:
LMAO, best way to pass exams XD!!!!!!! that made my day xD
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Most teachers wouldn't allow a book during an exam, so that means no nook during exams.
notriddle said:
Most teachers wouldn't allow a book during an exam, so that means no nook during exams.
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That's true, but it depends on where do you live and your skillz. Back in HS I used to bring one of those small memory-storing devices and it passed as a calculator, so...
Here in the US we would never be allowed to have a nook near us during the exam. But it is a great way to play sudoku and such.
brendan10211 said:
Here in the US we would never be allowed to have a nook near us during the exam. But it is a great way to play sudoku and such.
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Yeah, but if only they would trust us enough to let us read AFTER we finished the final exams. They make us wait until after EVERYONE in the room finishes, and there's always that one person that either fails miserably, or just checks it over and over again until the teacher tells him to stop. /facepalm

Optimized Office Applications

Are there any actual smooth office applications that dont take too long to load larger files like pdfs, or word docs with a lot of images? Running the rooted stock JB 4.1.1 its sorta saddening when this beast lags trying to pan across a pdf document considering the power it has under the hood. I've tried nearly every office app on the playstore and the suggestions from people on different threads and none really satisfied what i was looking for. CloudOn also isnt compatible with my device according to the playstore :/
etern1ty said:
Are there any actual smooth office applications that dont take too long to load larger files like pdfs, or word docs with a lot of images? Running the rooted stock JB 4.1.1 its sorta saddening when this beast lags trying to pan across a pdf document considering the power it has under the hood. I've tried nearly every office app on the playstore and the suggestions from people on different threads and none really satisfied what i was looking for. CloudOn also isnt compatible with my device according to the playstore :/
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Click to collapse
unfortunately, that's going to be the case until they come up with a better format than PDF (which is literally over 20 years old; evolved but not much...). Your best bet is to 1) reduce the quality of the PDF (usually flattens the images) or 2) convert them to Word files. Even updating PDFs to a newer version (Adobe 10 compatible) can be a bit better, but not perfect.
Even on my laptop with core I3 and discrete graphics I'll still lag sometimes on larger PDFs.
I agree with slack04, it's less about the client and more with the format. That said, I've used Kingsoft office on HTC Desire and Nexus S and found it to be not only free, but the best at opening pdfs and word docs. I don't tend to create much on it, as I use it to scan dl'd academic papers before transferring to pc/printer, but I know you can edit word etc. Also, I know it's available fr the N7, but I havent as yet bothered to dl'd it. Maybe you've already tried it? I'd think that optimised apps will appear shortly, but there are very few at this point
thanks for the replies. Are there are any recommended formats for converting to from pdf? I settled on smartoffice over all the others i tried(including kingsoft, i found it to be the most smooth on my N7, loaded everything the best and was pleasant to use (for word, excel and ppt). Im trialing ezpdf atm which works pretty well, im also trying mantano reader for pdfs which works pretty well for larger pdfs (1100 page full image pdfs - uni text books etc). If theres others looking to try some, see what they think of these
EDIT: mantano also allows pretty nice annotation of pdfs/books aswell as bookmarks etc. pretty handy!

[Q] How is the Nexus 10 for reading PDFs?

I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
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Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
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If you're set on a N10, i'd say give it a bit of time, the device is fairly new, so it can take Devs some time to update apps and get the bugs worked out of them. Personally, i'm looking at one for close to the same usage requirements, and still plan on getting one, even knowing that it may take a bit for the apps to catch up with the device.
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
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PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
No problems with PDFs using moon reader pro. Can't really offer a comparison with ipad though.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?
404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
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Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...
Kalebima said:
Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?
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The way to view one pages with 2 pages is to flip it to portrait mode and then flip it to landscape mode without activating auto-rotation. You will swipe left to right in this case.
beerope said:
Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...
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Either it's different sensitivity to issues or there might be something wrong. I just flung my finger across the screen and it just zoomed through. Images and stuff will load a bit later, but once the the app makes a cache, it doesn't take time to load them up anymore (so it's already there and ready to view).
404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
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This. I've never had any lag on adobe reader even with large PDFs.
beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know what the hell you're talking about. nexus 10 with adobe reader will read any pdf you throw at it just fine with no lag. lag in a pdf is just all kinds of fail and i'd say you have something very seriously wrong with something. but it's not the nexus 10's fault...
I can attest to the fact that ez pdf reader lags like hell on this device. I dont know if its software or hardware?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
Anyone who suffers from lag with Adobe Reader; force GPU acceleration from Android's Developer Settings (a guide to enable such settings is somewhere on xda-developers); should make things a lot better
While it doesn't seem to cause issues for most, it can cause some apps to act strangely, and/or crash. If you experience any issues, try disabling the setting first.
I don't see lag, but the nexus aspect ratio is not ideal for reading PDF.
I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.
RawBott Bigg said:
I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out ezPDFReader. It's probably one of the best. It has lots of functions and is very well supported with frequent updates.
Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..
Kalebima said:
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In answer to your question, I prefer the Nexus 10 ratio over the iPad. Then again, many may prefer the iPad's ratio for reading. All I can say is when you get your Nexus 10 next week give it a try. Download the App I suggested and see how you like the ratio.
Here are two pictures I took of the iPad 3 and the Nexus 10 side by side with the same PDF file I downloaded from my Dropbox account. This will give you an idea of how your PDF will look like on each device. (PDF files are open in iBook and ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form) Screen brightness: 100% As you can see by the picture, iBook crops the PDF file to fit the 4:3 ratio, while the Nexus fits it perfectly. I actually like that for some strange reason. lol It looks like it was designed for the Nexus 10. Also, the black colors on the Nexus 10 look a bit better. You have to look hard to notice it but it's there.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form also has the option you asked which is reading two pages in one PDF page form. It is not enable by default but you can go to settings and enable the feature there. I prefer portrait for one page viewing only because landscape with one page means scrolling and for two pages means a bit of zooming but not by a lot. If you need pictures of that too let me know.
aritrea said:
Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..
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Click to collapse
I've looked through the settings to find your answer but I'm afraid I didn't find infinite scrolling. The most I came close to finding was scrolling speed for turning page which by default is on 1.5x. You can change that to 3.0x and it should be faster. Also, the free version was choppy like you mentioned but not the paid version. You can try it for 15 minutes and if you don't like it you can get a refund.
I've tried like... all the pdf readers out there and all were lagging with any kind of pdf, i really don't know what these people are talking about... Since i got the nexus for reading a lot of pdfs I was really disapointed, then i found mantano reader by accident it's in fact an ebook reader but it also reads pdfs with unmatched fluency ! I'll howerver try to enable h/accel to see how adobe's perform.

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