Opus I have an Opus

Nate the great · 09-17-2009, 12:14 AM

I have one, I like it, and I'll post more tomorrow. I just wanted to post a quick note about something that I had not read elsewhere. The Opus respects the justification of the Epub file. I have some ebooks that are fully justified and some that are left justified. Both displayed correctly.

I'm really glad; I wouldn't want the Opus without a ragged right. I'm sure others feel the same about full justification.

HarryT · 09-17-2009, 02:52 AM

Good to hear that you have one, Nate. I know that you're a "fan" of ePub, and (occasional hangs aside), the Opus currently has the best ePub support of any device on the market. Since you will undoubtedly get a hang at some point, make sure that you know in advance that to reset the device, you hold in the power switch, and press the "page back" key until the device reboots (normally about 10s).

Nate the great · 09-17-2009, 01:15 PM

This is when you have one line of a paragraph by itself at the top (widow) or bottom (orphan) of the screen. This isn't something we normally care about with ebooks, but in paper books they are avoided.

The Opus is the first device (that I know of) that checks for and prevents them by moving lines from the bottom of the page to the next page. I think that's rather interesting.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-17-2009, 01:23 PM

congratulations on your opus ! it's lovely, isn't it ? i'll look forward to hearing your thoughts about it.

nice to know about the widows and orphans support ; that's a really nice detail. good to know also that it will respect the alignement defined in the css ; i'm like you, i don't like automatically justified text.

AnemicOak · 09-17-2009, 05:30 PM

The Opus definitely seems to have the most refined reader software.

HarryT · 09-18-2009, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

This is when you have one line of a paragraph by itself at the top (widow) or bottom (orphan) of the screen. This isn't something we normally care about with ebooks, but in paper books they are avoided.

The Opus is the first device (that I know of) that checks for and prevents them by moving lines from the bottom of the page to the next page. I think that's rather interesting.

I've just checked, and the Sony does this too. I suspect that all devices which use ADE do it.

Jellby · 09-18-2009, 06:58 AM

In principle, the behaviour could be changed with the CSS properties "widows" and "orphans", which default to 2. Has anyone tried to see if these are obeyed?

JSWolf · 09-18-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

In principle, the behaviour could be changed with the CSS properties "widows" and "orphans", which default to 2. Has anyone tried to see if these are obeyed?

I just tried it and windows and orphans do work in ADE.

mtravellerh · 09-18-2009, 01:15 PM

The Cool-er does the widows and orphans thing also. It leaves you with somewhat a big space at the end of the page, but that's no biggie.

Speaking about justification, the Cool-er has a switch in the menu, to keep books fully justified or turn the justification off. I prefer fully justified and keep it that way!

Nate the great · 09-19-2009, 06:23 PM

I have 2 reasons: there's no sleep mode, and the ergonomics simply don't work for me.

As I see it, the purpose of such a small device is that it is more convenient to always have with you than a larger one. This is so you can read whenever you have a few minutes. For example, I like to read at stop lights. Because the Opus doesn't have a sleep mode, it takes too long to boot. I don't have any time to read. Without the ability to read in snatches, there is little point in picking the Opus over a device with a larger screen that costs about the same.

I don't like the menu button. Every time I use it I make a mistake. I understand that it needs to be small, but it doesn't have to be a single piece. I would prefer a design with the arrow keys as 4 separate buttons, and the enter key to the left or right. If the arrow keys were separate then I don't think my finger would slide sideways quite so much and press the wrong one.

I also don't like the placement of the page turn buttons. I can't find a way to securely hold the Opus and keep a finger near them other than to place my thumb on the screen. If my thumb is on the side of the screen then it doesn't feel like I have a safe grip on the Opus.

tompe · 09-19-2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

As I see it, the purpose of such a small device is that it is more convenient to always have with you than a larger one. This is so you can read whenever you have a few minutes. For example, I like to read at stop lights. Because the Opus doesn't have a sleep mode, it takes too long to boot. I don't have any time to read. Without the ability to read in snatches, there is little point in picking the Opus over a device with a larger screen that costs about the same.

This is the same problem as with the Gen 3 and the solution is not to turn it off. It would be interesting if somebody could measure the battery time for the Opus when it is constantly turned on. For the Gen 3 it is around 100 hours if you just are in library mode and do not read. I am very curious to see if they have enhanced this time.

Personally I think 100 hours is much to short and does not fit my usage pattern (charge at weekends and read whenever I got some minutes free) at all.

K-Thom · 09-19-2009, 07:20 PM

Quote:

For example, I like to read at stop lights

While driving?!? Maybe you should consider a HUD-Display for your windshield ...

Nate the great · 09-19-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-Thom

While driving?!? Maybe you should consider a HUD-Display for your windshield ...

If I am at a _stop_ light then I am not driving; I am _stopped_.

K-Thom · 09-19-2009, 07:37 PM

As a matter of fact, you are driving. You're just not moving for that period of time. But you still should keep your eyes on the traffic, not on an eInk screen.

Well, people have been known shaving, dressing, applying their make-up, searching for something to eat in the glove compartment, binding their shoes - so, sure, why not reading?

But friends don't let friends read and drive, so I'm just caring about your safety.

And all those innocent bystanders in Northern Virginia.

HarryT · 09-20-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

If I am at a _stop_ light then I am not driving; I am _stopped_.

You are still in control of a running motor vehicle, and should be keeping your eyes on other traffic, not reading. If you did this in the UK, the police would throw the book at you (no pun intended

).

As far as holding it goes, I simply hold it in the palm of my hand. My thumb naturally curls around and falls on top of the "next page" button.

09-17-2009, 12:14 AM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	I have an Opus I have one, I like it, and I'll post more tomorrow. I just wanted to post a quick note about something that I had not read elsewhere. The Opus respects the justification of the Epub file. I have some ebooks that are fully justified and some that are left justified. Both displayed correctly. I'm really glad; I wouldn't want the Opus without a ragged right. I'm sure others feel the same about full justification. Last edited by Nate the great; 09-23-2009 at 08:14 AM.

09-17-2009, 01:15 PM	#3
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	widows and orphans This is when you have one line of a paragraph by itself at the top (widow) or bottom (orphan) of the screen. This isn't something we normally care about with ebooks, but in paper books they are avoided. The Opus is the first device (that I know of) that checks for and prevents them by moving lines from the bottom of the page to the next page. I think that's rather interesting. Last edited by Nate the great; 09-23-2009 at 08:14 AM.

09-19-2009, 06:23 PM	#10
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	I don't like it I have 2 reasons: there's no sleep mode, and the ergonomics simply don't work for me. As I see it, the purpose of such a small device is that it is more convenient to always have with you than a larger one. This is so you can read whenever you have a few minutes. For example, I like to read at stop lights. Because the Opus doesn't have a sleep mode, it takes too long to boot. I don't have any time to read. Without the ability to read in snatches, there is little point in picking the Opus over a device with a larger screen that costs about the same. I don't like the menu button. Every time I use it I make a mistake. I understand that it needs to be small, but it doesn't have to be a single piece. I would prefer a design with the arrow keys as 4 separate buttons, and the enter key to the left or right. If the arrow keys were separate then I don't think my finger would slide sideways quite so much and press the wrong one. I also don't like the placement of the page turn buttons. I can't find a way to securely hold the Opus and keep a finger near them other than to place my thumb on the screen. If my thumb is on the side of the screen then it doesn't feel like I have a safe grip on the Opus. Last edited by Nate the great; 09-23-2009 at 08:15 AM.

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09-17-2009, 02:52 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Good to hear that you have one, Nate. I know that you're a "fan" of ePub, and (occasional hangs aside), the Opus currently has the best ePub support of any device on the market. Since you will undoubtedly get a hang at some point, make sure that you know in advance that to reset the device, you hold in the power switch, and press the "page back" key until the device reboots (normally about 10s).

09-17-2009, 01:23 PM	#4
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	congratulations on your opus ! it's lovely, isn't it ? i'll look forward to hearing your thoughts about it. nice to know about the widows and orphans support ; that's a really nice detail. good to know also that it will respect the alignement defined in the css ; i'm like you, i don't like automatically justified text.

09-17-2009, 05:30 PM	#5
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	The Opus definitely seems to have the most refined reader software.

09-18-2009, 06:58 AM	#7
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,515 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	In principle, the behaviour could be changed with the CSS properties "widows" and "orphans", which default to 2. Has anyone tried to see if these are obeyed?

09-18-2009, 01:15 PM	#9
mtravellerh book creator Posts: 9,635 Karma: 3856660 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Luxembourg Device: PB360°	The Cool-er does the widows and orphans thing also. It leaves you with somewhat a big space at the end of the page, but that's no biggie. Speaking about justification, the Cool-er has a switch in the menu, to keep books fully justified or turn the justification off. I prefer fully justified and keep it that way!

09-19-2009, 07:37 PM	#14
K-Thom The one and only Posts: 3,302 Karma: 535819 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Device: yup!	As a matter of fact, you are driving. You're just not moving for that period of time. But you still should keep your eyes on the traffic, not on an eInk screen. Well, people have been known shaving, dressing, applying their make-up, searching for something to eat in the glove compartment, binding their shoes - so, sure, why not reading? But friends don't let friends read and drive, so I'm just caring about your safety. And all those innocent bystanders in Northern Virginia.

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