New version of iFlow released with library support

[egarbacz]

A new version of the iFlow reader was just released to the App store with library support. I just download it and loaded a library book and so far it is working great. I would like to see an easier way to add books right to the app on the iphone. Right now you have to download the epub on your PC and add the book to their website, then download into the iphone using their app. It doesn't look like the changed any of the controls of the app so if you don't like autoscrolling this probably isn't the reader for you. For me though the autoscroll implementation is awesome and iFlow has become my only reader on my iPhone.

Ed

[LagunaManiac]

FYI, an imminent release of the iFlow Reader will support the Open With functionality on the device which will allow direct downloading of library books or other epubs. I would also note that if you don't like AutoScrolling, you can read in paging mode just like any other ereader.
Dennis @ BeamItDown Software

[egarbacz]

Dennis, I use autoscroll the majority of the time. However, when I do want to page I would like to be able to tap any where on the right side of the screen to go forward and anywhere on the left to go back like pretty much every other reader available. trying to hit the small buttons on the bottom of the screen can be a pain. It would be better if it was completely configurable. If there is a way to do this and I missed it please let me know. Thanks,

[tomsem]

I have been waiting for this feature, but now that it is here, I must say it only highlights the main issue I have with iFlowReader: the necessity to upload 3rd party content using a computer (and one with ADE authorized on it no less) before you can download and read on the iOS device itself. I want to sideload in every way that I can with Bluefire (for example): download with web browser, use iTunes File Sharing, email attachment, use .epub or .acsm file, etc.

I would not mind having iFlowReader sync sideloaded content up to my iFlowReader account as an option, but a reader app that doesn't have sideloading flexibility is not one I'm going to use very much (much as I like the autoscrolling feature).

[update: LagunaManiac's comment says Open With functionality is being added, which is good. Hope that will also include iTunes File Sharing support.]

[tomsem]

Ok, in terms of the 'library' feature, I want to see a 'return item' function (including deleting it from my account's cloud storage). Again, to eliminate dependence on a computer and ADE to accomplish this.

True, Overdrive Media Console for iOS doesn't offer a 'return item' function, either. But Bluefire does.

More critically, how do I delete a library item from my iFlowReader bookshelf? Once it expires, there's no reason for it to be there. There is 'hide', but that's not adequate for 3rd party content in general, and certainly not for items I can't read.

[LagunaManiac]

We have no plans to support iTunes File Sharing which is a very kludgy file sharing system whose main purpose is to create yet another reason to run the bloated iTunes app. We already provide the most advanced cloud based bookshelf and see no benefit to participating in the iTunes marketing.

As far as returning library books early, it is a trivial feature that we will inevitably add in the near future. Bluefire apparently supports this now, but does it actually do anything or is it like their Adobe ID deactivation function which does not do anything but delete your current activation. It does not, as some believe, reduce the number of current device activations which is not possible because it is not supported by Adobe.

As far as "deleting" library books from the cloud, we see no benefit to removing every trace of the book. We actually retain the reading log info as well as any highlighted excerpts and annotations even after the book is expired so you can continue to acces these things as long as you want. If you have no further interest in the book, you can Hide it and it will not show up in any other category of your bookshelf, but you can easily recover it if you want. There is no user memory consumed, no cost to the user and lots of potential benefits.

[egarbacz]

Originally Posted by LagunaManiac

We have no plans to support iTunes File Sharing which is a very kludgy file sharing system whose main purpose is to create yet another reason to run the bloated iTunes app. We already provide the most advanced cloud based bookshelf and see no benefit to participating in the iTunes marketing.

I understand why you may not want to support that but how about loading via dropbox or email attachments?

As far as "deleting" library books from the cloud, we see no benefit to removing every trace of the book. We actually retain the reading log info as well as any highlighted excerpts and annotations even after the book is expired so you can continue to acces these things as long as you want. If you have no further interest in the book, you can Hide it and it will not show up in any other category of your bookshelf, but you can easily recover it if you want. There is no user memory consumed, no cost to the user and lots of potential benefits.

How about deleting any books from the cloud? I get where you come from that there should be no reason to delete from the cloud which was the same stance google took with gmail when it was first released but after use and user demand they put in a delete button. For me I uploaded a book with bad formatting that looked bad so I reformatted and uploaded the same book. So now I have two copies of the same book on iFlow, in the future if I develop a big library how will I know which are good and which are bad? Is there a technical reason that delete is hard to implement?

[LagunaManiac]

There is no technical obstacle whatsoever to implementing a Delete function. We did not do it because it would inevitably lead to inadvertent deletions which would lead to countless tech support requests to recover them. For all practical purposes, you can see the hidden section of the Bookshelf as the Dumpster. If you don't want to see what you discarded, you don't have to look in the dumpster. On the other hand, if you realize that you threw something that you want away, you can go dumpster diving and find it. I still don't see any problem with that approach, but I do see many benefits.

[LagunaManiac]

As far as Dropbox, we are all avid users of this fine product and we will inevitably add support for it in the near future.

[LagunaManiac]

One more thing...as you pointed out, all the other apps do paging the same way. They all pretty much do everything the same way because nothing much changed after the first one. The all have the same mee-too, unstructured and inconsistent user interfaces, inscrutable icons, and limited feature set. iFlow is intentionally very different. We do paging in a manner that is consistent with how our Search Navigator, Bookmark Navigator, and History Navigator work. We do the same sorts of thing in a consistent manner. We also have plans for the page edges that are no consistent with the paging approaches used by all the others. Our rich and getting richer feature set requires meticulous advance planning for the use of the available the screen real estate. In the next few months, it will be obvious why we don't want you tapping anywhere on the edge of the screen. We are just getting started.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by LagunaManiac

We have no plans to support iTunes File Sharing which is a very kludgy file sharing system whose main purpose is to create yet another reason to run the bloated iTunes app. We already provide the most advanced cloud based bookshelf and see no benefit to participating in the iTunes marketing.

As far as returning library books early, it is a trivial feature that we will inevitably add in the near future. Bluefire apparently supports this now, but does it actually do anything or is it like their Adobe ID deactivation function which does not do anything but delete your current activation. It does not, as some believe, reduce the number of current device activations which is not possible because it is not supported by Adobe.

As far as "deleting" library books from the cloud, we see no benefit to removing every trace of the book. We actually retain the reading log info as well as any highlighted excerpts and annotations even after the book is expired so you can continue to acces these things as long as you want. If you have no further interest in the book, you can Hide it and it will not show up in any other category of your bookshelf, but you can easily recover it if you want. There is no user memory consumed, no cost to the user and lots of potential benefits.

Bluefire does 'return item', i.e. it removes it from items checked out.

I understand nothing can 'return' device activation. Adobe gives you 5 to start with, and according to some algorithm gives you more as time goes by. And you can contact them if you run out.

The cloud storage is fine but useless for anything but IFR. I'd prefer a cloud storage solution that I can access with any reader app, ideally one with an associated web viewer. So far as I can tell such a thing does not exist yet (Google comes closest but doesn't let you upload 3rd party content), so Dropbox and such seem to be the way to go for now. Except IFR can't use such a solution yet. As such, my usage of IFR will remain experimental.

It's fine to operate without iTunes, I don't want to use iTunes to load things in general but in specific cases it offers additional flexibility. Pretty much all the other reader apps offer this.

I don't understand why I can't just delete stuff from cloud storage, especially if the license has expired. Hiding seems like a kludge. If I don't own it, as in this case, I just want it to be gone. - [update: Having said that, hiding is probably okay since it is relatively easy to tell which items represent loaned items where the loan has expired, and which are hidden for some other reason - which was my main concern (that one would have to download an item to discover that it couldn't be read). There still might be cases where one wants to expunge something completely, however ('embarassing' purchase decisions, etc.).]

A more tangible reason to offer deletion, it seems to me, is to avoid placing users and therefore yourself in possible legal jeopardy by retaining a copy of the ebook beyond its expiration date. See this link:
http://www.overdrive.com/copyright.aspx

At the end of the lending period, you are required to delete and/or destroy any and all copies of the Content.

is the inability to read in landscape view (unless I missed it). Landscape is a far more comfortable position to hold the IPad for long periods - also if your Ipad is protected with the Apple cover.

I also notice a lack of interest to incorporate the suggestions made by people on this forum, e.g., use of Dropbox. We make suggestions in order to improve your software and so you may gain more customers - not to be argumentative.

As it stands, your app is not terribly differentiated from many other ereaders, and as as scrolling, well ISilo has had that for years.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by emt

is the inability to read in landscape view (unless I missed it). Landscape is a far more comfortable position to hold the IPad for long periods - also if your Ipad is protected with the Apple cover.

I also notice a lack of interest to incorporate the suggestions made by people on this forum, e.g., use of Dropbox. We make suggestions in order to improve your software and so you may gain more customers - not to be argumentative.

As it stands, your app is not terribly differentiated from many other ereaders, and as as scrolling, well ISilo has had that for years.

I'd encourage you to send your feedback directly to the iFlowReader folks. I have done so a couple of times, and they are receptive and responsive.

Originally Posted by tomsem

I'd encourage you to send your feedback directly to the iFlowReader folks. I have done so a couple of times, and they are receptive and responsive.

I would hope that the Iflow folks are reading this forum

[jaybee]

I have just discovered iFlow, and I love it. I love the auto-flow feature. I want to download library books, but I can't figure how the "open with" feature works. (I am set up to download library books, but I don't know how to get them into iFlow.) Can someone explain this, or point me to an explanation!

Thanks in advance.