902 Pocketbook 902: first impressions and questions

[parkher]

On 902 there is a "reflow" option, but it makes pdf without any margins at all.

Perhaps I will just use bulk conversion in Calibri, should look better than with the internal 902 reflow.

[OphReader]

Originally Posted by kacir

On my trusty, old PocketBook 360 there is option where you zoom pdf automatically in such a way that you see only text and not left or right margin.
.

That would be exactly what I'm looking for. It's good to learn that it's technically possible so hopefully the next release of the firmware will feature it. *fingers crossed*

[Logseman]

If I recall properly, that option "Fit width" is present in the new devices as well.

[parkher]

Originally Posted by Logseman

If I recall properly, that option "Fit width" is present in the new devices as well.

Yes it is. There is "Fit width" for pdf in 902.
But it does not remove those wide white margins.
It treats the margins as an integral part of the the whole thing that has to be fitted - exactly the same as Adobe Reader does on PC under Windows.

I mean, with some pdf files it helps, but with the most I have - not nearly enough.
It zooms from the size of a matchbox to the size of a 6" screen perhaps, and the rest of 9.7" screen goes to waste, because it contains the original margins proportionally further expanded.

[Dulin's Books]

fit width- but in some cases it doesnt work because the "width" of the document IS the white space. Its a matter of how the PDF was created. Rotate the device to landscape and try it that way.

could you attach a document for testing>

[parkher]

If I convert pdfs to some other format, which would be the best for PocketBook 902?
I guess, there are 3 aspects to that:

1 which specific conversion tool (Calibre?) can maintain most of the pdf formatting in which output format?
2. which format is best displayed on PocketBook 902?
3. is there a way to configure PocketBook 902 to use FBReader for ePub by default?
If not, opening of ePub each time requires additional efforts

A somewhat related question: which is the best format for PocketBook 902 to convert .lit files to?
And perhaps some other formats?

[kacir]

Originally Posted by parkher

1 which specific conversion tool (Calibre?) can maintain most of the pdf formatting in which output format?

I usually run pdf through an OCR program.
There are quite a few that accept pdf as input.

[OphReader]

I think it is unsatisfying if I have to convert pdfs before I can read them properly. After all the 902 has been advertised for exactly that purpose (reading pdfs that is)

I have attached a pdf created with latex.

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by OphReader

I think it is unsatisfying if I have to convert pdfs before I can read them properly. After all the 902 has been advertised for exactly that purpose (reading pdfs that is)

I have attached a pdf created with latex.

The 902 is advertised for reading PDF's and displaying them loyably and with good readability. If the file does have margins, it's a matter of the file, not of the reader. You should remember that PDF is a print-oriented format, and people tend to use big margins.

[OphReader]

Originally Posted by Logseman

The 902 is advertised for reading PDF's and displaying them loyably and with good readability. If the file does have margins, it's a matter of the file, not of the reader. You should remember that PDF is a print-oriented format, and people tend to use big margins.

If the 902 is advertised for displaying pdfs with good readability I would expect that the developers have dealt with the fact that pdfs tend to have margins and somehow solved that problem. I've just updated the firmware to 2.0.3 and am disappointed to see that the problem still persists.

[eLiNK]

Originally Posted by OphReader

If the 902 is advertised for displaying pdfs with good readability I would expect that the developers have dealt with the fact that pdfs tend to have margins and somehow solved that problem. I've just updated the firmware to 2.0.3 and am disappointed to see that the problem still persists.

I agree.
Even the Kindle can do that (without any hacks).

Could there be anything relevant in the options?

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by OphReader

I think it is unsatisfying if I have to convert pdfs before I can read them properly. After all the 902 has been advertised for exactly that purpose (reading pdfs that is)

I have attached a pdf created with latex.

here are screen shots of the file on the 902.

the file doesn't work using fit width because the margins are expressed as part of the width.

but here it is using regular zoom to 130%.



140%



150%



and Reflow at 200%

[Dulin's Books]

oh and one more Reflow at 300% in landscape

[parkher]

Some issues:

1.
Actually, I would like even larger margins than "large" in FBReader settings.
That's why I bought 902, so that a typical paperback book could fit with wide margins.
Is there a way to set margins by a specific number in mm or other units?
Perhaps something can be done in fbreader.cfg file, not just border=2.

As to ePub - it also has no margins to speak of, if viewed in AdobeViewer, and I suspect that DRMed books have to be viewed in AdobeViewer.
So this has to be fixed as well.

And finally, pdfs: after reflow, sometimes there are no margins whatsoever, which is not acceptable.

2.
Another issue: what about default,25 font in FBReader?
If I choose any other font, I cannot return to default, even with "Clean State".
None of the offered fonts has sizes 15,20,25,30,35 as the default font does.
Strange. To return to default I have to edit the .cgf manually and write there literally:
"default,25".

Another thing: if I set over the top large font size (like 72) in FBReader settings, then I have only two choices with the font size buttons: either the smallest or that insanely large.
Turns out, its current size in settings is shown as a crazy large multi-digit number.

3. Where are the text-to-speech modules located in the machine, and where to get them and how to install?
In my machine, Russian language module is missing, although it specifically was demonstrated in a PocketBook video, actually reading the russian user guide (which was also missing in my PocketBook).

4. What about mp3 player? Can it be somehow controlled?
- how to stop it (not pause) playing , other than setting to one song mode and waiting until the song ends?
- how to make it not to search for mp3s through all the directories and files each time it starts. With 32 GB card and thousands of directories and files, it may take half an hour.
- I don't want it to collect everything together: I may want to listen an album at a time.
Or to listen to an audio book, it is a book reader, after all.
Actually, I did not test yet with mp3s in different folders, maybe it somehow retains the hierarchy? Not likely.
So I want to place audio books alongside the printed ones in the same directory structure, and then to invoke the mp3 player on a specific audiobook. Is it possible?

5. How to do Page Up, Page Down on the directory list in the library. Is it possible at least to map some key to do that?

6. Ok, guys, so where did you get the 2.0.3 firmware?

[Billi]

Sorry, I can help only with some issues:

Originally Posted by parkher

1. Actually, I would like even larger margins than "large" in FBReader settings.
That's why I bought 902, so that a typical paperback book could fit with wide margins.
Is there a way to set margins by a specific number in mm or other units?
Perhaps something can be done in fbreader.cfg file, not just border=2.
As to ePub - it also has no margins to speak of, if viewed in AdobeViewer, and I suspect that DRMed books have to be viewed in AdobeViewer.
So this has to be fixed as well.

The missing margins are very annoying and make it practically impossible to read a novel (or anything not in pdf-format). You can help yourself by changing the settings in the css-file of the epub, afterwards the Adobe Reader will display the book nicely, but I do not know how many readers will and can make this additional work.

Originally Posted by parkher

3. Where are the text-to-speech modules located in the machine, and where to get them and how to install?
In my machine, Russian language module is missing, although it specifically was demonstrated in a PocketBook video, actually reading the russian user guide (which was also missing in my PocketBook).

The text-to-speech-modules are only published in English, French, Italian and German. I do not know if and when other languages will follow.

Originally Posted by parkher

6. Ok, guys, so where did you get the 2.0.3 firmware?

Here, in the German subforum:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...8&postcount=33