Nook HD+ with Calibre Companion and/or Mantano

[Needlehawk]

I would be very grateful if someone could let me know what their experiences are with the Nook HD+ and Calibre Companion/Mantano.

For quite a while, I have been downloading my Nook books into Calibre and combining them in my Calibre Library with books from other places than B&N. I have been spending a LOT of time getting tags/series/etc just right because I planned to get a Nexus 7 and upload all my epubs to it with Calibre Companion, and use CC as my library organizer, with Mantano possibly as the e-reader of choice.

I still plan to get a Nexus 7, but ended up not being able to resist the Father's Day sale on the Nook HD+, since Google Play was just added. This complicates things of course, since the HD+ immediately downloaded (at least some of) my B&N books.

Since I've used Nook for PC to download all my B&N books into Calibre (somewhere around 1200 books), I'm seriously considering getting CC anyway, and sideloading all my books (including the B&N books) onto my HD+, since that is the only way that CC will know about my B&N books (right?).

Even though I know that I'll have duplicates on my HD+ at this point, I hope that I don't have to archive the books that the HD+ automatically downloaded. I have a LOT of B&N books, and it will be a serious pain to archive all of them. I bought the 32 gig model so I've got lots of room, and there are always memory cards if I run out of memory.

What are people's experiences with using CC with the HD+? Is my plan a valid one? Also, is there any reason to use a reader other than the stock Nook reader? I don't mind the reader's functionality, but I want better library management than the exceedingly sucky (in my experience) shelving thing that the Nooks use.

Originally, I was going to use Mantano, since it could handle the DRM, and use the tags, etc that I set up in Calibre. However, in reading about CC, it seems that I can launch applications straight from CC to the ereader, so I'm wondering whether I need Mantano at all.

in advance to anyone who can give me advice before I botch things up completely by experimenting.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Needlehawk

Even though I know that I'll have duplicates on my HD+ at this point, I hope that I don't have to archive the books that the HD+ automatically downloaded. I have a LOT of B&N books, and it will be a serious pain to archive all of them. I bought the 32 gig model so I've got lots of room, and there are always memory cards if I run out of memory.

When the Nook shows your B&N books in its library, the actual books are not downloaded by default. There is a small icon of a cloud with an arrow on it on each book showing that they are in the cloud. If you want that particular book locally, then you can download it. And if you want to put it back in the cloud then just click on the book and select "Move to NOOK Cloud"

If you have CC and calibre, you can do all your importing of books onto your device through there. And you never even have to go into your Nook "Books" library. You will use CC to import and launch all your books in the reader of your choice.

What are people's experiences with using CC with the HD+?

I've got the HD and CC and they work together great. Again, CC will open any book in any of your installed readers, even the native one if you want to use it.

CC reads all the tags you put on your books in your Calibre library, so you can sort any way you like using the categories you're used to. No need to create any new shelves or categories.

--Pat

[Difflugia]

I really like Mantano. There was a year or so during which it was pretty unstable while they fiddled with features, but it's almost as stable as Aldiko now. The big feature that has sold me on it is the nestable collections (so instead of just "cookbooks", I can have "cookbooks/vegetarian", "cookbooks/Italian", etc.).

I used Calibre Companion for a while and almost liked it. The first reason that I didn't like it is that it's copy-protected, so I couldn't put it on my devices that don't have Google Play (I have several). Second, wireless transfers are slower than USB, so I ended up not using them. Thjrd, after importing the books I use Mantano's interface rather than Calibre Companion's anyway, which eliminates one of the big reasons to use Calibre Companion.

Instead, I keep a "Calibre" folder on my memory card and use Calibre's "sync to folder". It works just about like Calibre Companion, but without the wireless. The downside is that I haven't figured out a way to convert Calibre's tags into Mantano's collections, so after importing them into Mantano, I have to arrange the books into my collections myself.

The problem with the NOOK app is that it doesn't register itself to Android as opening epubs, so you can't open books in the NOOK app using Calibre Companion's interface. Additionally, the NOOK app expects sideloaded books to be in a particular folder and don't recall being able to change the folder that CC saves books to. You could, though, use calibre to sync straight to your "My Content" folder (or whatever NOOK calls it; I don't remember off the top of my head). Both of these statements are from memory, though. The Calibre Companion guys claim to be generous with refunds, so it can't hurt to try and see if you can make it work how you want.

I guess the short of what I'm saying is that I use Calibre and Mantano in just about the same way that you propose and, though it isn't perfect, it's better than any other system I've found.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

The problem with the NOOK app is that it doesn't register itself to Android as opening epubs, so you can't open books in the NOOK app using Calibre Companion's interface.

The native Nook reading app on the Nook HD acts differently. It shows up as an option in Calibre Companion when you go to select a book to read. So you can indeed select the Nook app to read on if you are using only CC.

Additionally, the NOOK app expects sideloaded books to be in a particular folder and don't recall being able to change the folder that CC saves books to.

In CC you can indeed change the folder you want your books to be downloaded to (at least on the Nook HD). You can in fact select either the micro sd card, which is where I have my books sent to, or internal memory. And you can name the folder anything you want.

Also, the Nook can now "see" books that you upload via CC. They appear under "Books" in the Library. I had read that initially, books sideloaded would only appear under My Files in the Library. They are now incorporated with your B&N books -- mixed together -- under "Books" and the covers show up too.

I'm guessing that this may be a recent change they implemented when they opened up the Nook HD/HD+ to Google Play?

--Pat

[Needlehawk]

PatNY and Difflugia, thanks so much for the answers.

I went ahead and grabbed CC and Mantano Lite and am looking at them to determine what to do. There are obviously pros and cons to each. Both are really good products, but neither does 100% of what I what I want, so I'm going back and forth with myself about what combo to use. The one thing that seems obvious at this point is that I'll probably only use one or the other for the library management features.

Thanks again for the help!

Linda

[booklover6]

I wonder how many people read novels on the HD+? That screen is so huge. I think it's a great size for web, apps, movies, etc. I don't think I'd want to read on it too often. So I'm curious if a lot of you use the HD+ for reading on a regular basis.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I wonder how many people read novels on the HD+? That screen is so huge. I think it's a great size for web, apps, movies, etc. I don't think I'd want to read on it too often. So I'm curious if a lot of you use the HD+ for reading on a regular basis.

I do.
Apache

[Rbneader]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I wonder how many people read novels on the HD+? That screen is so huge. I think it's a great size for web, apps, movies, etc. I don't think I'd want to read on it too often. So I'm curious if a lot of you use the HD+ for reading on a regular basis.

I read quite a lot on the HD+. It works very well once I set the brightness to the right level. I like having the larger screen because I can set the font larger when I'm tired without losing information, and it means fewer page turns in general.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I wonder how many people read novels on the HD+? That screen is so huge. I think it's a great size for web, apps, movies, etc. I don't think I'd want to read on it too often. So I'm curious if a lot of you use the HD+ for reading on a regular basis.

Try reading in landscape mode with two columns. That makes it better for me.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Apache

I do.
Apache

As do I.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Try reading in landscape mode with two columns. That makes it better for me.

I tried that with Mantano and although it showed two pages, the text continued all the way across LOL. I'll have to try it in the BN reading app.

Edit: I just tried with the Nook reading app and Mantano, and they both worked fine with 2 page landcape. So maybe it was the Moon + Pro I had trouble with. I'm sure it was, that app was messed up.

I was pleased with the text customization of the Nook app on the HD+. I may end up getting the smaller Nook HD for myself sometime.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I bought the HD for myself just for a reading tablet. My older Nook Color and Kindle Fire don't have enough resolution for me. I'm surprised by how much I like reading on the HD.

[Xanthe]

I read more ebooks on the HD rather than the HD+. I like the HD+ for magazines, surfing, TV & movies, and some games. I prefer the HD for word and solitaire games - the size is more comfortable to hold.

[seacity1]

I have both an HD+ & a Nook Color & find I like the HD+ much better for reading books. The screen is about the same size as a mass market paperback so I don't find it at all awkward. I keep it in a cover so I just open it liike I would a regular book. I only use the NC for when I am traveling or what something smaller for "wait time" I can put in my purse.

[booklover6]

I tried the Kindle app on the HD+. Just as quickly I uninstalled it. There aren't even any font choices other than size. Bleck! Thank goodness for Alf, so I can convert my books to epub and use Mantano.

I noticed all the free magazines I got with my HD+ (it was a QVC deal) and downloaded a few and read one on the HD+. Pretty nice! I might try out the zinio magazine app. Though I'd rather spend my reading time on novels, so maybe not.

I like the HD+. Maybe I'll try streaming a movie on it later.