Reading Software for PC???

Big Kev · 09-17-2010, 08:15 PM

Hi All

Need some help/suggestions with regard to suitable software for reading ebooks on a PC.

My elderly father-in-law loves reading but unfortunately his eyes are going and he needs a larger sized font than you can get in a printed book so I thought I would give him a try on our laptop which runs Windows 7.

Only catch is that whatever reading software I use has to be really simple to operate as he has never used a computer before and I don't want too much of a learning curve for him. The software also needs to be able to display the page in full screen mode and have adjustable font sizes.

Format is not that much of an issue as I use Calibre and can convert to whatever although mobi is probably more cenvenient as I hav e a Kindle and already convert to that format.

The software doesn't need to be able to connect to bookstores etc as he likes old books which I can download from Guttenberg, etc.

I've tried Kindle for PC and Microsoft Reader which are both okay from an operational perspective but on the laptop will not display in full screen mode which significantly reduces the number of words on the screen.

Mobipocket Reader is good display wise but is a little more complicated to operate from a complete novices perspective so I'm looking for something really simple to operate but with the good display qualities.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks
Kevin

Lady Fitzgerald · 09-17-2010, 08:38 PM

Since you use calibre already, have you checked out calibre's reader? I use it all the time and find it simple to use. To bring it up, all one has to do is double click on the number of the book one wants.

ATDrake · 09-17-2010, 09:36 PM

The ePubReader add-on for Firefox is pretty simple to use with a slightly limited, but very easy-to-grasp interface and you can use Firefox's own fullscreen mode or simply resize the window as needed.

You can set everything (text inside the book itself, table of contents in the sidebar, etc.) to a really big custom font-size and colours as default, so your dad won't have to bother adjusting it for each book, and there are large and prominent buttons for further adjusting the font if he needs them.

While I myself prefer Lucidor, I'm afraid it's not quite all there yet as far as usability goes, and ePubReader is a really good option for beginners.

Plus, the developer posts right here on MobileRead.

wallcraft · 09-17-2010, 09:57 PM

FBReader is very customizable, uses any font you want and has auto-bold if that helps. A big advantage if you need a large font size is that it auto-hypenates. It works well with MOBI (no cover image though) or ePub (no SVG graphics). Note that FBReader typically requires fiddling with its settings, but this means you can get it to look exactly how you want.

BexBits · 09-17-2010, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Since you use calibre already, have you checked out calibre's reader? I use it all the time and find it simple to use. To bring it up, all one has to do is double click on the number of the book one wants.

Second this suggestion, calibre's reader is my reader of choice on my netbook. Very easy to use and I was able to find a custom CSS sheet thing in the calibre forum that showed me how to make the background colored which really helps my eyes.

Lady Fitzgerald · 09-18-2010, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BexBits

Second this suggestion, calibre's reader is my reader of choice on my netbook. Very easy to use and I was able to find a custom CSS sheet thing in the calibre forum that showed me how to make the background colored which really helps my eyes.

On the flip side, I have one of the HDMI inputs on my 32" TV patched into my computer. Using calibre and its reader, I can put put an e-book up on my TV, zoom in enough to be comfortably read from my bed (the TV is mounted high on the wall in my bedroom). I use a wireless mouse to turn the pages (I have a second mouse that I keep on my night stand by the bed). I can set the sleep timer on the TV to turn off after so long in case I nod off.

Big Kev · 09-20-2010, 06:29 PM

Hi All

Thanks for the advice. Wallcraft your suggestion re FBreader seems the way to go as it's interface is more direct and simpler to operate for a complete computer novice, so will give it a try.

Regards and thanks again.
Kevin

DaleDe · 10-02-2010, 10:32 AM

For a full list of available software check the wiki for reading sofware https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_software

Dale

Big Kev · 10-03-2010, 05:23 AM

Thanks to all who have taken the time to respond with suggestions. Have decided to go with FBReader as this will provide my father-in-law with an easy to operate interface which will not require that he go through a huge learning curve to master the computer.

He is 88yrs old and never used a computer before. I want to keep it really simple so that he can continue to enjoy reading and the added bonus is someone just gave me their old laptop which will do the job as cheap as it gets.

Thanks again & regards
Kevin

Bloodrayne · 11-13-2010, 05:26 AM

DaleDe,many many thanks for that link...

darknessangel · 11-13-2010, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

On the flip side, I have one of the HDMI inputs on my 32" TV patched into my computer. Using calibre and its reader, I can put put an e-book up on my TV, zoom in enough to be comfortably read from my bed (the TV is mounted high on the wall in my bedroom). I use a wireless mouse to turn the pages (I have a second mouse that I keep on my night stand by the bed). I can set the sleep timer on the TV to turn off after so long in case I nod off.

Now, that setup kicks ass! XD. I want to buy a projector to do that (but more likely to watch movies ;-)

theducks · 11-13-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darknessangel

Now, that setup kicks ass! XD. I want to buy a projector to do that (but more likely to watch movies ;-)

Replacement Projector bulbs Kick your wallet

The also run hot.

I have an Aluratek USB to HDMI (they also make DVI and XVGA models) video adapter to drive my 32" LCD TV without losing my existing (and faster) XVGA/HDMI ports that are connected to my Desktop monitors.

Sadly, works with Windows only.
Scrolling full screens of text, shows up speed limitations. Interestingly, it seemed adequate for XVID encoded movies

darknessangel · 11-15-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

Replacement Projector bulbs Kick your wallet

The also run hot ...

Not LED projectors! ;-) They have longer lifetime than your average dog.

09-17-2010, 08:15 PM	#1
Big Kev Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 43 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle & Ipad	Reading Software for PC??? Hi All Need some help/suggestions with regard to suitable software for reading ebooks on a PC. My elderly father-in-law loves reading but unfortunately his eyes are going and he needs a larger sized font than you can get in a printed book so I thought I would give him a try on our laptop which runs Windows 7. Only catch is that whatever reading software I use has to be really simple to operate as he has never used a computer before and I don't want too much of a learning curve for him. The software also needs to be able to display the page in full screen mode and have adjustable font sizes. Format is not that much of an issue as I use Calibre and can convert to whatever although mobi is probably more cenvenient as I hav e a Kindle and already convert to that format. The software doesn't need to be able to connect to bookstores etc as he likes old books which I can download from Guttenberg, etc. I've tried Kindle for PC and Microsoft Reader which are both okay from an operational perspective but on the laptop will not display in full screen mode which significantly reduces the number of words on the screen. Mobipocket Reader is good display wise but is a little more complicated to operate from a complete novices perspective so I'm looking for something really simple to operate but with the good display qualities. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks Kevin

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09-17-2010, 08:38 PM	#2
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	Since you use calibre already, have you checked out calibre's reader? I use it all the time and find it simple to use. To bring it up, all one has to do is double click on the number of the book one wants.

09-17-2010, 09:36 PM	#3
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	The ePubReader add-on for Firefox is pretty simple to use with a slightly limited, but very easy-to-grasp interface and you can use Firefox's own fullscreen mode or simply resize the window as needed. You can set everything (text inside the book itself, table of contents in the sidebar, etc.) to a really big custom font-size and colours as default, so your dad won't have to bother adjusting it for each book, and there are large and prominent buttons for further adjusting the font if he needs them. While I myself prefer Lucidor, I'm afraid it's not quite all there yet as far as usability goes, and ePubReader is a really good option for beginners. Plus, the developer posts right here on MobileRead.

09-17-2010, 09:57 PM	#4
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	FBReader is very customizable, uses any font you want and has auto-bold if that helps. A big advantage if you need a large font size is that it auto-hypenates. It works well with MOBI (no cover image though) or ePub (no SVG graphics). Note that FBReader typically requires fiddling with its settings, but this means you can get it to look exactly how you want.

09-20-2010, 06:29 PM	#7
Big Kev Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 43 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle & Ipad	Hi All Thanks for the advice. Wallcraft your suggestion re FBreader seems the way to go as it's interface is more direct and simpler to operate for a complete computer novice, so will give it a try. Regards and thanks again. Kevin

10-02-2010, 10:32 AM	#8
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	For a full list of available software check the wiki for reading sofware https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_software Dale

10-03-2010, 05:23 AM	#9
Big Kev Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 43 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle & Ipad	Thanks to all who have taken the time to respond with suggestions. Have decided to go with FBReader as this will provide my father-in-law with an easy to operate interface which will not require that he go through a huge learning curve to master the computer. He is 88yrs old and never used a computer before. I want to keep it really simple so that he can continue to enjoy reading and the added bonus is someone just gave me their old laptop which will do the job as cheap as it gets. Thanks again & regards Kevin

11-13-2010, 05:26 AM	#10
Bloodrayne Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: none	DaleDe,many many thanks for that link...

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