DR800 Public BETA of the DR800S and SG 2.0 software available

[DeReader]

Just found this new blog entry, it seems the beta firmware is also available for the DR800 models:

http://i-to-i.irexnet.com/2010/04/08...are-available/

Downloading and installing...

[DeReader]

Ok, installed, the installation was flawless, copied the "System"-Folder from the firmware ZIP into the root of the device SD-Card, after unplugging from USB the device found the new firmware and asked for a reboot.

On the first start a complete index was done, I have a lot of PDF-Documents on the reader so the initial indexing took some minutes.

The new functions have to be activated in the "Advanced Settings" Menu, there are:

- Enable zoom for PDF documents
- Enable writing on PDF documents
- Enable folder-based access to your content
- Enable thumbnail generation when indexing your content

I turned on all options. In the Home-Menu there's also a new "note-taking" application, this works fine with the stylus, albeit the response is a bit slow, so writing does not feel that natural, but it works.

Writing on PDF also works fine, the response is the same as in the note-taking application. You have to select the "write-mode" in the main-menu of the open PDF document, there are also options for pen style and erasing.

Zooming also works now, you have the option to zoom to a selected area, this area is kept for the whole Document, similar to the Iliad. Also panning of the zoomed content is possible.

Zooming is also selected via the menu of the document in a sub-menu. Here I would like to have direct-access icons in the statusbar of the documents for zooming, unzooming and panning.

So, these are only my first impressions, more to follow.

I would like to thank iRex that they have listened to the customers and added the much wanted features zoom and annotation!

[bigshell]

Great, that's big news!

[badbob001]

Originally Posted by DeReader

Zooming also works now, you have the option to zoom to a selected area, this area is kept for the whole Document, similar to the Iliad. Also panning of the zoomed content is possible.

From the DR1000 2.0 Beta thread, it is mentioned that once zoomed in, there is a continuous-page-view toggle where if it's on, the flip-bar will move the view to the next section of the current page that is not in view instead of going to the next page. This would be useful in landscape mode, where you would view the top half of the page and expect the flipbar to move the view to the bottom half instead of the top half of the next page. Is there a continuous-page-view toggle on the DR800 beta?

I wonder if there is an .ini hack to enable tabs on the dr800 firmware. It has been show that the device keeps opened in memory about four of the latest viewed documents of the same type.

[CoolDragon]

It will be more convenient to have the "fit width" zoom level be default when switching to landscape mode.

[CoolDragon]

Hi DeReader, how do you think about the contrast in the new release comparing with the previous one? People with DR1000 reported worse contrast with the new firmware but that's between two different rendering engine.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by DeReader

Ok, installed, the installation was flawless, copied the "System"-Folder from the firmware ZIP into the root of the device SD-Card, after unplugging from USB the device found the new firmware and asked for a reboot.

On the first start a complete index was done, I have a lot of PDF-Documents on the reader so the initial indexing took some minutes.

The new functions have to be activated in the "Advanced Settings" Menu, there are:

- Enable zoom for PDF documents
- Enable writing on PDF documents
- Enable folder-based access to your content
- Enable thumbnail generation when indexing your content

I turned on all options. In the Home-Menu there's also a new "note-taking" application, this works fine with the stylus, albeit the response is a bit slow, so writing does not feel that natural, but it works.

Writing on PDF also works fine, the response is the same as in the note-taking application. You have to select the "write-mode" in the main-menu of the open PDF document, there are also options for pen style and erasing.

Zooming also works now, you have the option to zoom to a selected area, this area is kept for the whole Document, similar to the Iliad. Also panning of the zoomed content is possible.

Zooming is also selected via the menu of the document in a sub-menu. Here I would like to have direct-access icons in the statusbar of the documents for zooming, unzooming and panning.

So, these are only my first impressions, more to follow.

I would like to thank iRex that they have listened to the customers and added the much wanted features zoom and annotation!

Can you do other zooms as well?
For example zoom to width, to height, to page, .....
I love the "intelligent" zoom we know from iLiad.
But sometimes it just works fine to use pre-defined zoom levels.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by CoolDragon

Hi DeReader, how do you think about the contrast in the new release comparing with the previous one? People with DR1000 reported worse contrast with the new firmware but that's between two different rendering engine.

Exactly, it was a difference due to the change of viewers on the DR1000 and the anti-aliasing enhancement they were doing with the poppler PDF viewer. The DR800 never had a poppler viewer, so I don't expect we will notice a change.

Although, I haven't had a chance to install the beta yet, so I'll find out later tonight.

[SlawekC]

Uff polish characters works fine with the 2.0 beta firmware. Thanks iRex Team.

BTW. I can't check the new zoom and scribbling functions because I was send my stylus for replacement

[SlawekC]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

... The DR800 never had a poppler viewer, so I don't expect we will notice a change. ...

In my opinion on my DR800S contrast is OK.

[ahhahh]

I have just installed the beta fw.

Everything seems to be working fine, except a couple of times that, while reading a pdf, the menu was not completely painted (just the border), and I had to use the bar to move to the next element to get the content of the menu shown.

One thing I have noticed, and has not been mentioned, is that epub margin numbers seem to be gone!!!! For me, that's great, I just hated them.

Notes and pdf scribbles seem to work just fine.

Pdf zoom: it works, but you need to get used to it, and a few modifications would make the DR800 the perfect device in my opinion.
This is how I got it to work: first, you have to select Zoom/Selection Zoom, and select the area of the document, and the zoom is remembered when you go to the nex page. If you select a smaller area of the page, you can select Zoom/Pan, and then you can move the page with the stylus, or with the bar (up/down only obviously). Bad thing is while in pan mode, the bar moves up/down the page, but not to the next page. For that, you need to use the arrows in the menu bar with the stylus.

Also, you can't make annotations while in pan mode, as just one mode is active at a time.

I agree having the modes clickable in the menu bar would be much more comfortable to use. Also, I'd love to use the pan mode with just the reader bar, so one push moves down the page and a longer push goes to the next page, for example.

All in all, I think this firmware is a great improvement and this is going in the right direction. And we are still in April!

Thanks iRex!

[vakya]

Pardon for my english.
When i try to open an epub made by calibre with jpg cover. The DR800 say me:
An unexpected error has occurrerd; your documents must be closed.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by ahhahh

Also, I'd love to use the pan mode with just the reader bar, so one push moves down the page and a longer push goes to the next page, for example.

Either that or pushing the bar moves down the page until it gets to the end, then a regular push goes to the next page (without having to do a long push).

[ahhahh]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Either that or pushing the bar moves down the page until it gets to the end, then a regular push goes to the next page (without having to do a long push).

Of course, that would be even better.

[musteman]

this update seems a very nice improvement but now i cannot read comics anymore!!!

When I use the great CBZ document Plugin this message appear:

"An unexpected error has occurrerd; your documents must be closed"


Any idea??? some other methods in order to read comics???


Thanks!!!