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[Q] One great Android ebook reader app...someone, please??

I would really like to find a great ePub reader app and wondered if anyone here might know of one I haven't found, or have the skills to build one that will beat all the competition by including what I'll explain below.
As an author, I am very conscious of how books will look when read using different eReaders and different reader apps (FBReader, Aldiko, Laputa, etc.). There are two major issues I see so far with how the current stock of apps display the text content, and how they display images inside ebooks. Other than the iPad, I haven't found a single Android app that does both in a way that works for me (and I'm not sure even the iPad does it perfectly yet).
On text/content handling-- it boils down to whether the app actually uses the internal style that the author or publisher designed, meaning, does it read and use the .css stylesheet correctly or does it ignore it for the most part. In my case, the book looks perfect in ADE and Calibre on my laptop, meaning it displays exactly as it should look based on xhtml and the internal stylesheet. It also looks perfect on Aldiko both on my EVO and my rooted Nook color. But other than Aldiko, I have not seen one other app that correctly displays the book based on the styles and formatting stipulated in the .css file. Maybe the developers didn't think it mattered, or didn't know how to do it, but the .css file is part of the ePub standard.
As for image display--the iPad allows a double-tap to pop the picture off the page and view it enlarged (though I don't think you can pinch-to-zoom even then). The other day I was told the the latest version of FBReader for Android now lets you 'long-press' on a picture to optionally see a full-screen version of it in their image viewer (also excellent, though you still can't pinch-to-zoom on that larger image either). No other reader app I've found--even Aldiko--has the tap or press functionality to see a larger version of an embedded picture. So far I've had to do hyperlinks from the text to a larger version, or have thumbnails in the text linked to the larger picture, though still no pinch-to-zoom.
(Fwiw, the zoom function is a capability of the hardware apparently. On my EVO the internal viewer allows that--but the ES Image Viewer does not..so maybe it has to be built into the app. Pictures on an ePub book page are apparently limited by the page size unless you can view them separately, but getting them displayed with a viewer that also allows pinch-to-zoom hasn't been done yet I guess.)
So, not to drag this out any further, does anyone know of an existing reader app, or a new one under development, that has it all? I'd even donate some money if someone here wanted to look into making a reader app that combines the Aldiko stylesheet capability with the FBReader 'long-press' image view capability.
Personally, I have illustrations and pictures that need to be seen full-screen (better yet, zoomed to see the detail) so the image handling issue is a huge deal for me. The text handling using the .css stylesheet is for reading esthetics so that indentation, quotes, text and paragraph alignment and spacing, look good, as they would in a typical book--not all jammed together in the same size with no differentiation from one section to the next.
Any help, information, or ideas, will be appreciated. Thanks.
-JTT

Don't know if it will do it, but I have tried both Laputa and i think it was moon+ reader, they might do what you are looking for

With all due respect, I don't have time to read such a long post however Moon+ is pretty excellent

I'll try not to write as long a post next time since some people don't have time to read before they reply, though if they'd read the initial post they would have realized their response was pointless. But I'll let it slide and just say that Moon+ is very nice (I already have it) and I especially like the way it displays the Table of Contents. Unfortunately, it also ignores the .css file and style specifications, which is what was being explained in the long post...if you'd taken the time to read it.

Pickx said:
With all due respect, I don't have time to read such a long post however Moon+ is pretty excellent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually use Laputa for most of my reading, which is a vote for that app, though I do have Moon+ as well since I've been testing all the reader apps I could find. But neither Laputa or Moon+ seem to use the .css styles when displaying the book content like Aldiko does, and neither allows any functionality to tap or press to enlarge images like FBReader does. So back to square one...but thanks for mentioning them.

This is more of a "non-answer" to your question.
I've read your entire post and I actually like your idea. So my idea is just to send your suggestion to the devs of the ePub reader (I use Moon+). They'll probably answer and give you an idea if they plan to implement the feature or what's holding them back from doing so.

Have you tried to write to Cool Reader's application (which supports epub also) author?

I dont know if when you posted this fbreader would ignore css, but i installed it today and it has CSS settings (txt alignment and font size only) plus the image tap to view

*Desperate Help Needed*- WM7 PDF Viewer

Hey guys,
I normally lurk the forums as I'm always able to come to some sort of solution, but this time I'm truly lost! I've tried everything to find a PDF viewer for WM7 that has a search function. I need an app that can search for keywords in a PDF by tomorrow and I have tried everything from:
1. DotNetNuzzi PDF Viewer-- incredible lag, completley inoperable.
2. Convert PDF to .doc ( using Adobe Acrobat X Pro, NitroPDF 7) to search keywords in WM7 Office-- PDF formatting goes to complete ruin, no use.
3. Convert PDF to ePUB (using various online converters/standalones) to read via eBook readers from marketplace (Freda, Bookvisior)--PDF formatting goes to complete ruin, no use.
I don't know what to do, and I need to be able to search large PDF files by tomorrow. Please helppp me!

Hmm... normally I wouldn't recommend this, but maybe something like Google Docs (plus, if needed the Find On Page commandlet for IE on Windows Phone)? Another, even hackier option, would be to use RemoteDesktop (an app, does exactly what it says) and open the PDF on a PC instead. Yeah, it would lag, but a "large" PDF is likely to realllly strain the phone anyhow.
Searching PDFs is surprisingly difficult; I believe the default viewer on Android can't do it either. What do you need this particular capability for? There might be a better way. For example, I think the Adobe app lets you jump by page, so you could search text in another tool (that messes up the formatting, so long as it leaves the page breaks) and then jump to the relevant page. Alternatively, does the PDF have headers? You could navigate by table of contents, if the headers are sufficiently fine-grained...

S-Pen and PDF, powerpoints

i just came back from best buy trying out the galaxy note, it worked amazing in the s-note. But when i opened up the polaris i wasn't able to write like you can in s-note in pdf or powerpoint. so my main question is
Is there any other office apps configured for s-pen or for polaris is there a way to write or edit pdf, and power point files. I have to do this a lot for my classes and have to do alot of printouts for taking notes for classes. so just want to know if something like that is possible

Writing on pdfs is easy. I use EXPdf or Adobe PDF. Both work well with the s-pen. For powerpoints, just convert to pdf!

do you mean ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form app for android. and that's great if it does work sort of solves my printing problem and at the same time never have to go nuts looking for notes during finals.

use Soonr Scribble
Soonr Scribble turns your Samsung Galaxy Note into a state-of-the-art productivity tool for annotating and sharing any document when you're on the move.
With Soonr Scribble you can quickly capture your ideas and easily markup and share documents. It works with any type of file, on any mobile device or computer, across teams, across networks, and across the globe in real-time. Whether you’re working on spreadsheets, presentations, proposals, expense reports or just taking notes, Soonr Scribble on the Samsung Galaxy Note is the annotation solution you’ve been searching for.
Soonr Scribble is specifically designed to turn the Samsung Galaxy Note and other Samsung S Pen (Advanced Smart Pen) stylus enabled mobile devices into powerful productivity tools. Soonr Scribble lets you:
• View and annotate over 35 different types of files including MS Office Word (doc), PowerPoint (ppt), and Excel (xls) documents as well as traditional PDF files.
• Use the touch-sensitive S Pen technology built into the Galaxy Note to create high-resolution annotations.
• Create arrows and freehand drawn shapes, and add highlights to documents to fully illustrate your annotations.
• Create projects to categorize your documents, and create lists of people to share your documents and annotations, whether they're internal to your organization (members) or external partners (connections).

I use RepligoPDF - faster than ezPDF. (but not yet with Note 10.1 - I'm waiting for it to arrive)

rickyland said:
use Soonr Scribble
Soonr Scribble turns your Samsung Galaxy Note into a state-of-the-art productivity tool for annotating and sharing any document when you're on the move.
With Soonr Scribble you can quickly capture your ideas and easily markup and share documents. It works with any type of file, on any mobile device or computer, across teams, across networks, and across the globe in real-time. Whether you’re working on spreadsheets, presentations, proposals, expense reports or just taking notes, Soonr Scribble on the Samsung Galaxy Note is the annotation solution you’ve been searching for.
Soonr Scribble is specifically designed to turn the Samsung Galaxy Note and other Samsung S Pen (Advanced Smart Pen) stylus enabled mobile devices into powerful productivity tools. Soonr Scribble lets you:
• View and annotate over 35 different types of files including MS Office Word (doc), PowerPoint (ppt), and Excel (xls) documents as well as traditional PDF files.
• Use the touch-sensitive S Pen technology built into the Galaxy Note to create high-resolution annotations.
• Create arrows and freehand drawn shapes, and add highlights to documents to fully illustrate your annotations.
• Create projects to categorize your documents, and create lists of people to share your documents and annotations, whether they're internal to your organization (members) or external partners (connections).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like an ad.

Do they let you free draw in the pdf file or no because that is one of my main concerns at the moment i had some time to mess around with polaris and turns out i can do little bit of free drawing in the word and powerpoint so thats not bad and also tried the ezpdf its pretty nice sucks that you can undo the pen and change the size of the pencil but still its pretty awesome so far hopefully they come out with something better

toenail_flicker said:
Sounds like an ad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe but its a really amazing app. Super insanely difficult to figure out how to use. But brilliant once you get going.

rTek said:
i just came back from best buy trying out the galaxy note, it worked amazing in the s-note. But when i opened up the polaris i wasn't able to write like you can in s-note in pdf or powerpoint. so my main question is
Is there any other office apps configured for s-pen or for polaris is there a way to write or edit pdf, and power point files. I have to do this a lot for my classes and have to do alot of printouts for taking notes for classes. so just want to know if something like that is possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On S-note go to the menu on the top right and click import, the select PDF. It imports the PDF and lets you write on with full functionality and palm rejection. Soonr sucks. Laggiest pos app I have ever used
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bobdude5 said:
On S-note go to the menu on the top right and click import, the select PDF. It imports the PDF and lets you write on with full functionality and palm rejection. Soonr sucks. Laggiest pos app I have ever used
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the time I can import pdf on S-note. But some pdf files show blank pages though they are visible in adobe reader. I dont know what to do with those files...

i use .ppt and .pdf files in S-note. for the .ppt files, i use the android converter by this company. They have other convert programs to pdf so it's not entirely limited. Then i use cloudprint or canon print to print the pdf out, which works pretty well. Be advised it does upload the .ppt or .pptx to their web server and then redownloads the .pdf to the directory of your choosing so you do need an internet connection.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.thinkti.android.powerpointtopdf
As for the blank pages, there seems to be a bug if you switch between writing mode and moving (or non editing mode, top button on left) while editing large pdfs. I'm still trying to figure it out but it seems if i switch to a page in non editing/drawing mode, and then click the pen, sometimes it switches to my previous page i edited on. If you go to the bottom of the page and press the arrow key going up or down in the pages, then it works. Its a little wonky sometimes

sledgie said:
i use .ppt and .pdf files in S-note. for the .ppt files, i use the android converter by this company. They have other convert programs to pdf so it's not entirely limited. Then i use cloudprint or canon print to print the pdf out, which works pretty well. Be advised it does upload the .ppt or .pptx to their web server and then redownloads the .pdf to the directory of your choosing so you do need an internet connection.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.thinkti.android.powerpointtopdf
As for the blank pages, there seems to be a bug if you switch between writing mode and moving (or non editing mode, top button on left) while editing large pdfs. I'm still trying to figure it out but it seems if i switch to a page in non editing/drawing mode, and then click the pen, sometimes it switches to my previous page i edited on. If you go to the bottom of the page and press the arrow key going up or down in the pages, then it works. Its a little wonky sometimes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't open any pda in the snote program. When I select a pda file it ask me to choose a program to complete action.. This list doesn't includes snote.

When it asks you that, hit the checkbox that says do this always and hit the back button. This was a problem i had originally on mine, after about 5 times it finally loaded.

It worked. Thanks. Now I am struggling to vary the pen pressures. Is there any menu for adjusting the pressure for one of 1024 values?

Not that I can see within S note. Also only some of them are pressure sensitive.

toenail_flicker said:
Sounds like an ad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I tried it.. and didn't like it.. no pen annotations.. so worthless for this thread..

You can write on PowerPoint with the Polaris app that comes with the device. You can use the Kno app or snote to write on pdf's, although I don't know how to export from Kno after you write on it

Desktop PDF reader for WinRT (SumatraPDF)

Since I can't seem to post this in the correct place (Windows 8 > Windows 8 Development & Hacking on one of the jailbroken RT app threads):
SumatraPDF 2.2.1 - look it up on Wikipedia or Google since I also can't post links...
This is a reasonably capable PDF reader. (Also, from my use of it today, it's certainly more friendly t- o touch than Foxit Reader is on a touch-capable Win8 Pro system.) It also appears to support many other formats - I tried an ePub with it and that also worked well.
I had to make a few minor patches to the source in places (expectations of x86/x64 in a few libraries), and replace the bundled JPEG library to get it to build. I'm assuming printing support will work, but I haven't had reason to test that.
A few visual anomalies seem to exist, but they also seem to be pretty minor. (The toolbar doesn't render quite right, which looks like broken icon references.)
I've attached the binary; contact me and I'll send the link to the source.
Chris

Do you know a good open source PDF editor for Windows? I am not saying you have to compile it to ARM, I can take a look at it myself
SumatraPDF is only a reader as you said.
I need to annotate PDFs and fill out forms. One app at the store does this to some extent, but it's kind of limited.

Thanks for the port; it's added to the list!
@someniceguy: You can actually ue Word 2013 to edit PDFs. If you just need annotation and form filling, though, those can be done with the built-in PDF reader (the Metro-style one). Note that annotation requires a stylus, though, so not available on Surface RT.

First of all, thanks for the info.
GoodDayToDie said:
@someniceguy: You can actually ue Word 2013 to edit PDFs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It asks me to convert the PDF to a Word document first. That's a deal break for me.
GoodDayToDie said:
If you just need annotation and form filling, though, those can be done with the built-in PDF reader (the Metro-style one).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can use Reader to make basic annotations such as highlighting with a given color and adding notes. Nothing else, it seems. It's a very limited program.
The only semi decent program I found is PDF Touch, but it too has limitations. For example, it gives you a very limited selection of colors for highlighting. And it does not support all types of annotations (or I could not see them), such as adding notes. The worse of it, though, is that it does not show the table of contents of the PDF, and I could not find any way to search inside the PDF.
Use ezPDF (Android) for a brief time and you realize Store Apps for PDF handling are from the stone ages.
Again, thanks for the suggestions, but still looking for that open source advanced program for PDF manipulation.

The progromm is a little bit ugly but works realy fine ! even faster then the mtro app

Yeah, it doesn't take too much to beat the speed of the Reader app. Of course, I was interested in using it with big PDFs - on average, 300 pages, mostly D&D books actually, which left me wanting a program that responded in a timely manner, and would allow me to have multiple files open at the same time, since I'm usually using them as reference material while playing... Reader blew chunks for that on an i5-480m @ 2.66, so there wasn't a chance it would do better on a far wimpier processor...

Has the developer integrated GPU rendering yet? I know he previously complained about the cost/reward ratio. Without it, though, Sumatra really lags all other readers on scanned (old) PDFs or complex ones.

Merconium said:
Has the developer integrated GPU rendering yet? I know he previously complained about the cost/reward ratio. Without it, though, Sumatra really lags all other readers on scanned (old) PDFs or complex ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't look like it had any Direct2D dependencies or other such things in it. I also ended up potentially slowing it down a bit by replacing libjpeg-turbo with the original libjpeg, which had it's own gcc dependencies.
On the other hand, at least for the purposes that I wanted a PDF reader for - multiple files open at once, easy access to bookmarks, decently quick rendering - it seems to be good enough. The rendering speed isn't great, but it's better than Reader, which is the other reader I tried before building this one.

The version of SumatraPDF posted here did not work for me. I got the error message "SumatraPDF crashed Sorry, that shouldn't have happened!".
However, this version worked for me. https://github.com/plumeqi/RT_Arm32_Porting/tree/main/SumatraPDF3.3.3/Bin
Now I can read PDF as well as DjVu and ePubs on my Surface RT.

apandada1 said:
The version of SumatraPDF posted here did not work for me. I got the error message "SumatraPDF crashed Sorry, that shouldn't have happened!".
However, this version worked for me. https://github.com/plumeqi/RT_Arm32_Porting/tree/main/SumatraPDF3.3.3/Bin
Now I can read PDF as well as DjVu and ePubs on my Surface RT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, bro. I can use it now in 2022.

[Q] Capable of Annotating large PDFs?

I've purchased a Note 10.1 recently but haven't actually opened the box. I first need to know whether the Note is capable of opening 1000 page PDFs with Repligo/iAnnotate/EzPDF etc and annotating them without lag, or is this far too much to ask from the Note? Would an Atom tablet be more capable of this? I wish to use the tablet for reading while on public transport and simply highlighting and writing quick notes in the PDF, and then when I get home, reading through the edited document and making my actual notes in OneNote. I've watched videos of other people annotating documents on other tablets, but I'd like to be certain with the tablet and whether it can handle such large files.
ALSO: Is it possible to open the OneNote web (not mobile) application via an android browser (accessed via SkyDrive). I merely want to view my notes through the web app, but not edit them.
Thanks.

Carrl said:
I've purchased a Note 10.1 recently but haven't actually opened the box. I first need to know whether the Note is capable of opening 1000 page PDFs with Repligo/iAnnotate/EzPDF etc and annotating them without lag, or is this far too much to ask from the Note? Would an Atom tablet be more capable of this? I wish to use the tablet for reading while on public transport and simply highlighting and writing quick notes in the PDF, and then when I get home, reading through the edited document and making my actual notes in OneNote. I've watched videos of other people annotating documents on other tablets, but I'd like to be certain with the tablet and whether it can handle such large files.
ALSO: Is it possible to open the OneNote web (not mobile) application via an android browser (accessed via SkyDrive). I merely want to view my notes through the web app, but not edit them.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on the new purchase.
Essentially all android tablets are the same from a sofware stand point.
Yes you can easily edit pdf's that are huge that come into many 1000 pages. I use ezpdf now as it seem to offer what i need. But as you said you have to test out yourself and see what suits you the best.
You cannot open onenote in android browser. All you can do is see the files. I tried the default, chrome and dolphin browsers and none of them seem to open one note files.
It might just be easier to use the android app

aalupatti said:
Congrats on the new purchase.
Essentially all android tablets are the same from a sofware stand point.
Yes you can easily edit pdf's that are huge that come into many 1000 pages. I use ezpdf now as it seem to offer what i need. But as you said you have to test out yourself and see what suits you the best.
You cannot open onenote in android browser. All you can do is see the files. I tried the default, chrome and dolphin browsers and none of them seem to open one note files.
It might just be easier to use the android app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! Thank you for the reply. If the worst comes to worst, I'll just have to export all my OneNote files each week for uni...

Carrl said:
Great! Thank you for the reply. If the worst comes to worst, I'll just have to export all my OneNote files each week for uni...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is an app called mobilenoter in the market. Worth a shot for taking notes.
The editing options are very limited but may be good enough for basic note taking.

Two things ...
1st. For your Purpose Mantano Reader Is Best !!! Am using it since a long period of time.
2nd. OneNote is available in Playstore.
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