Some suggestions for Software Updates

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Kaitou Ace

Some good news!
I was at the Digital Life show at the Javits in NYC tonight, and I managed to talk to the product manager of the reader. He said that they are actually working on a hierarchal listing in a firmware upgrade. There should also be some more interesting developer tools for creating the BBeB format sometime in the near future, as well as a few more interesting things. They do read this forum it seems, so yay.

I have to say I am really looking forward to a firmware update.

I've also seen some indications that would seem to corroborate Kaitou Ace's comments on a firmware change to handle hierachical file structures.

[BuddyBoy]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I've also seen some indications that would seem to corroborate Kaitou Ace's comments on a firmware change to handle hierachical file structures.

Please! I'm dying in flat file hell here. I'd like books by category (or not) sorted within category by date or author. Categories collapsed until you select them.

I also would like a toggle between active books function, that toggles between, say, the last three to five books I've read.

A search function would be great, and for data input I'd even be happy with T9 or Multitap, just like on my cellphone.

I really should also be able to delete a book on my device or move it from the internal memory to the sd card or vice versa.

I need a Reader specific authoring tool, preferably one that will easily read an oeb project and convert it to a perfect lrf. Failing that, please please please expand the content of the bookstore. Granted, it's better than the Rocket eBook store was at inception, but there are so many book already released for ereader or ms-reader that are not available on connect, or, if they are, are priced far beyond the ereader or curent MMP price.

This product has had a great launch - if Sony intends to get behind it and keep people interested, they have GOT to deal with the content issues. The connect store is hollow, badly laid out and gives you a limited ability to search. And stuff is in the wrong place. It's like comparing a B&N or Borders with a small airport bookstore/newstand.

See, it doesn't take much to keep me happy. All I really want is Gemstar's 1150 OS, Sony's eInk screen and battery life, and Amazon's selection at remainder prices.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by BuddyBoy

Please! I'm dying in flat file hell here. I'd like books by category (or not) sorted within category by date or author. Categories collapsed until you select them.

You can do some of what you want using Collections.

If you creat Collections in the Connect Software, you can put the files in them, and arrange them in your prefered order, rather than alphabetically. Once you have a Collection the way you want it, you can drop the whole collection onto the Reader and access the books in it through the Collections menu on the Reader.

The "Books" listing will still be a mess, showing everything in alpha order, but you can at least find the book you want pretty quickly through the Collection.

[BobVA]

Originally Posted by NatCh

You can do some of what you want using Collections.

If you creat Collections in the Connect Software, you can put the files in them, and arrange them in your prefered order, rather than alphabetically.

That's a good tip, but bear in mind that for some reason Collections can't be put on a card/stick - as Natch points out, you need to drop the Collection ON the reader, not a card.

Cheers,
Bob

[NatCh]

I'm hopefull that will be addressed in the first firmware patch (whenever it is). Actually I'm hoping the hierarchical files thing will be adressed then too.

Go ahead, call me an optimist, I can take it.

[bkilian]

Originally Posted by Leaping Gnome

A lot of the complaints I have would be pretty easily solved by just copying iTunes.

Really? iTunes is possibly the worst piece of windows software in existence. It's entirely inaccessible to screen readers or high contrast settings, it's about as intuitive as a donkey on a bicycle, and it regularly screws up my ipod. Not sure if I want those "features" in this software.

[bkilian]

Considering text search, it's really not that hard, how many buttons does your celphone have? People enter text on those all the time.

[NatCh]

I suppose they could assume a standard cell number to letter mapping scheme ... that may be the best idea I've heard yet!

[Bob Russell]

But isn't the question about input still the question about whether or not the screen can keep up?

[Nightwing]

Notist the time count in the music player is pretty quick... Not much ghosting. Actuay fastinating on how fast the screen really is.

One inprovement would be in the Connect software. Simply a better difference on the Right click commands. Its verry hard to see what you can and cant do.

[Nightwing]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I suppose they could assume a standard cell number to letter mapping scheme ... that may be the best idea I've heard yet!

Could the USB port be set to read a small usb keyboard.

[NatCh]

I don't think so ... at least not as shipped. You see the USB isn't a Master USB, but as to whether a hack could make such a keyboard function or not ....

But that would be nice, wouldn't it?

Regarding Bob's comment on the screen responsiveness, I think it'd be okay. I've played with the screen lock function under utilities in the main menu, which uses the number keys to enter a code, it responded agreeably. The jogstick seems to navigate the menus well enough, though there is some stutter (I think it's more from the powersaving spool-down than the screen's refresh characteristics). And of course the counter on the audio player works just fine, as Nightwing noted.

[Nightwing]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I don't think so ... at least not as shipped. You see the USB isn't a Master USB, but as to whether a hack could make such a keyboard function or not ....

But that would be nice, wouldn't it?

Regarding Bob's comment on the screen responsiveness, I think it'd be okay. I've played with the screen lock function under utilities in the main menu, and it uses the number keys to enter a code, it responded agreeably. And the jogstick seems to navigate the menus well enough, though there is some stutter, I think it's more from the powersaving spool-down than the screen. And of course, the counter on the audio player works just fine, as Nightwing's noted.

One can hope... ^_^ I know the Dell PDA x3i can be coax into a host but not designed that way... Puts a load on the sytem...

[BuddyBoy]

Originally Posted by NatCh

You can do some of what you want using Collections.

If you creat Collections in the Connect Software, you can put the files in them, and arrange them in your prefered order, rather than alphabetically. Once you have a Collection the way you want it, you can drop the whole collection onto the Reader and access the books in it through the Collections menu on the Reader.

The "Books" listing will still be a mess, showing everything in alpha order, but you can at least find the book you want pretty quickly through the Collection.

Not quite - collections cannot be stored on the SD card and books that belong to the collection appear to need to be stored in the same location as the list. At least that's been my experience. I have too many ebooks to rely solely on the internal memory.

[BuddyBoy]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I suppose they could assume a standard cell number to letter mapping scheme ... that may be the best idea I've heard yet!

Yup T9 or Multitap. The only thing I'd wonder is how well the system could keep up. I know when I'm unlocking my screen with the screen code, the number display lags way behind the key presses.