09-21-2011, 07:43 AM | #1 |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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Reading on the TouchPad
I was inspired last night to write a brief post on the 3 readily available apps for the TouchPad The post is a work in progress and I would appreciate some feedback.
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...pad-an-update/ Did I miss anything? Please let me know. I consider the post to be a work in progress and I will be updating it. Thanks! |
09-21-2011, 02:19 PM | #2 |
Sith Wannabe
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I don't know if you missed anything, since i don't have a TouchPad. But I may get one soon, and I've been wondering about its potential as a back-up reader to my 950. This was a very helpful post, thank you!
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09-21-2011, 05:52 PM | #3 |
o saeclum infacetum
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I've been having a problem with the Kindle app; with one book (of which I'm aware; I don't know if the problem is more widespread), the screen goes to white and is dead. I have to dump the card, restart the app, and the same thing happens. The problem was not with the book, which reads perfectly on the Kindle app on my Touch.
I googled the problem and I'm not the only one. It seems as if closing out all running programs will let the book launch and read successfully, but it's a nuisance. It mostly matters to me in that I've been indulging in a few good deals at Amazon not available in ePub, thinking I could read them on the Touchpad. I'm disappointed to learn that Amazon is walking away. Don't know if I'll try hacking at some point or not. I'm a technotyro, so I could easily brick it. In a lot of ways, I like the WebOS and I don't really care about most apps, but I'd really like a way to read my DRMed ePubs. Then the Touchpad could be an all-purpose device for traveling. |
09-22-2011, 12:13 PM | #4 |
Sith Wannabe
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So the Kindle app on the TouchPad is "crippled" or just not full-featured? I was thinking of giving it a shot on a device with a bigger screen than my phone, but if it's not going to work smoothly I may hold off.
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09-22-2011, 05:13 PM | #5 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
Dale |
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09-22-2011, 05:19 PM | #6 |
Sith Wannabe
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Perhaps "buggy" would have been a better word to use? If it's not running smoothly and has difficulties opening books that other apps/devices can open, to that points to this version of the app. Might try it anyway, but if I can't side-load books from other sources to it, that's a big negative.
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09-23-2011, 12:30 AM | #7 |
Wizard
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Sure you can sideload, the user community for WebOS rarely lets us down. And if WebOS can't handle it, then there is always Ubuntu. For PDF files the best choice is XJournal in Ubuntu. It has everything you might need. The Ubuntu setup process has been automated by a script now and runs in a card just like everything else.
http://forums.precentral.net/hp-touc...-solution.html Last edited by HansTWN; 09-23-2011 at 12:33 AM. |
09-23-2011, 07:27 AM | #8 |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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That requires a hacked TouchPad, right?
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09-23-2011, 07:30 AM | #9 | |
Wizard
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Is this your issue, or are you hitting something else? Graham |
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09-23-2011, 07:35 AM | #10 |
Wizard
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I've not tried the Ubuntu approach for pdf yet (it seems a wee bit of overkill when I want to read), but the Adobe reader's useable now that a quick hack to increase the resolution on zoom has been found. See:
http://forums.precentral.net/3156924-post38.html Graham |
09-23-2011, 07:54 AM | #11 |
Wizard
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There are various degrees to hacking. It sounds as though at the moment you've not installed Preware which opens up your Touchpad to homebrew apps.
Preware is basically another app catalogue but with non-sanctioned development, including apps and patches. There's some very useful stuff in there. In particular, there's the pReader Native Alpha app, which is being developed rapidly and should be more fully featured than the version in the HP catalogue. They can exist side-by-side (they maintain separate libraries). If you're having an issue with a book in the 'official' pReader, it's probably worth installing this other version from Preware. I've just noticed that there's also a Preware app for Kindle sideloading. (NB: I've linked to the web pages for these apps, but they're available via the Preware app directly on your Touchpad.) Graham |
09-23-2011, 09:23 AM | #12 | |
Wizard
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09-23-2011, 09:28 AM | #13 | |
Wizard
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Without even considering all the other things you can do under Ubuntu, I'd also recommend that approach for anyone who wanted to do more with their pdfs, like storing bookmarks and annotations. Graham |
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09-23-2011, 09:35 AM | #14 |
Wizard
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I knew what you were talking about before... Just figured nobody would use a tablet just for reading.
But I will definitely try Adobe with the new zoom setting. Thanks for the tip! |
09-23-2011, 09:44 AM | #15 | |
Wizard
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I may well have a play with Ubuntu, though, I'm an inveterate dabbler. Graham |
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