Stanza in iOS5... dead...

[seajewel]

Originally Posted by 1611mac

Like what? Get up from their desk and go to lunch???

Well, I thought Stanza was eventually updated for iPad due to outcries. It could still happen? Probably not, but I'm just hoping.

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by seajewel

Well, I thought Stanza was eventually updated for iPad due to outcries. It could still happen? Probably not, but I'm just hoping.

We can all hope.....

[robinson]

I suppose rather than us preaching to the choir here, we should all be posting and e-mailing Amazon!

I'm just as guilty as the next person of not doing that, but will come the weekend!

Stanza could use a built-in, offline dictionary! For now, I'm still liking eReader, which was, for me, the other leading ebook reader along with Stanza.

[Philantrop]

Originally Posted by robinson

I suppose rather than us preaching to the choir here, we should all be posting and e-mailing Amazon!

I've done that extensively over the course of the past few days. Essentially, Amazon.com acknowledges they own both Lexcycle and Stanza but can't do anything (not even contact Lexcycle!) because Lexcycle is operating independently. I don't believe a word of that but they've stopped answering...
Amazon.de never answered at all.

Here's my original mail which could be used as a template.
The English version: http://www.mailstation.de/Amazon_Stanza_Letter.txt
The German version: http://www.mailstation.de/Amazon_Stanza_Brief.txt

[kyteflyer]

Apparently Amazon will do just one more update to Stanza (according to an email received by someone in the Facebook "Revive Stanza" group) but there will not be any more updates after that.

So, Stanza replacement coders, thats going to give you a bit more time to get up to scratch. So far I am not seeing anything really approaching Stanza's features in any of the pretenders to the throne.

Don't know if this will be visible to anyone not using facebook, one can but try. Its a screenshot of the email received.
Screenie

[Barty]

Time for a new petition: release the source!

Kyteflyer, have you tried bluefire?

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by Barty

Time for a new petition: release the source!

Kyteflyer, have you tried bluefire?

Yes, I have. Its OK (but nowhere close to Stanza), and there are Stanza-esque features which I really *really* would like to see in it. I've posted in the appropriate thread, already.

I've also tried: megareader, Tomes (had that from yonks ago), uBooks (free version), shubook, demitasse, readMe (which is close but not close enough, and the developers dont answer email), i2reader (crap, IMO, and not worth the $6AUD I paid for it), Kobo (MUCH better since the recent update), Kindle (rubbish unless you want to belong to the Ama-verse), Tookbooks... the list goes on. None are Stanza, none approach Stanza and I'm hopeful that the update promised was not just a way of getting us to shut up.

The biggest problem for me right now is that, being unable to settle on a particular reader, I am not doing any reading. I'm spending all my time trying to find the perfect one, and really, if its not Stanza or better, its not going to suit me. I *could* end up downgrading my iphone... again... or just switching to iBooks, which I can at least use with calibre.

[Barty]

You can use calibre in iBooks? Hmm, never tried, with the huge margins and no night mode.

FYI , you can connect to calibre with a web browser and send files to any reader that supports Open in...

But yeah, I also wasted some money trying a bunch of different readers. Still hanging on to Stanza.

[seajewel]

I haven't upgraded yet, but I've been trying different readers. I'm glad to hear Stanza will be updated (although I'll be skeptical until the update comes out).. I dislike how Amazon is handling the whole thing, though.. waiting until complaints "force" them to put out an update while warning users it's the last time. It's a good piece of software that does things better than anything else out there.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by Barty

FYI , you can connect to calibre with a web browser and send files to any reader that supports Open in...

No, I can't. I don't know why, and I posted umpteen times about it in this thread, with lots of people trying hard to help, but nothing worked.

REality is that for whatever reason, from time to time someone is not going to be able to do that. trust me, if I could, I would.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by seajewel

I haven't upgraded yet, but I've been trying different readers. I'm glad to hear Stanza will be updated (although I'll be skeptical until the update comes out).. I dislike how Amazon is handling the whole thing, though.. waiting until complaints "force" them to put out an update while warning users it's the last time. It's a good piece of software that does things better than anything else out there.

My feeling is that its a token only and the update will never come. If it were going to, those of use who have written to lexcycle would have had a response of some kind, and we haven't. I'll keep my fingers crossed, because if its true, at least I will be able to get a new iPhone. I am very disinclined to do that at the moment because downgrading wont be possible on a 4S. I'll wait.

My general feeling about amazon is one of anger. They ought to have had the decency to post on itunes (as iflow reader did) that there would be no further updates. That would then have given us the opportunity to remain on our OS of choice (which for me would have ben 4.3.5). But thats not the game, for them. They seem to have a corporate mindset which says that we will all switch to Kindle if we can't get Stanza. As if!!!

[rxmom03]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Apparently Amazon will do just one more update to Stanza (according to an email received by someone in the Facebook "Revive Stanza" group) but there will not be any more updates after that.

I so hope this is right! So far, megareader is the closest one to do what I want--all I need is to be able to sort by "tags" and I would be a happy camper. But I don't do as much as I know some other people do with Stanza/calibre.

Mary

[kn101]

I'm grudgingly getting used to MegaReader. The reading experience is good (current novel doesn't use italics, etc.), the other stuff still needs work (the way books are presented in the library is atrocious at the moment). But the developer seems eager and is getting on it.

[robinson]

kyteflyer-- much appreciate your posting that! What great news--iOS 5 compatibility for Stanza. At least, promised iOS 5 compatibility!

What I still don't understand is why they haven't incorporated several of the best features of Stanza into Kindle? Then, they'd have a much better app--along with expanding their audience.

I guess, though, that most ebook app users don't really care about this stuff- or, simply are unaware that they should care!

Once someone has the experience of choosing their own color theme for reading, they'd never go back to a lack of choice--or that ridiculously glaring white on black of the Kindle app!

Just wish that the Lexcycle folks had done the dictionary right.

-------------
Oh, and yes, the Facebook post, thread, whatever it is, showed up just fine! Thanks for that, too! The comments make for good reading.

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by robinson

I guess, though, that most ebook app users don't really care about this stuff- or, simply are unaware that they should care!

Correct! I just converted a p-book to an ebook for a friend and if the reading app did not display italics properly it would be a hard read. It's research and it's uses a lot of quotes (in italics) and references to other works (in italics). Can't imagine reading it without italics.

Originally Posted by robinson

Once someone has the experience of choosing their own color theme for reading, they'd never go back to a lack of choice--or that ridiculously glaring white on black of the Kindle app!

I read EXCLUSIVELY a "snow" text on a dark blue background. My eyes simply can't handle black on white so I wouldn't even consider an app that does not allow white on dark blue...
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