New Reader with great pdf-support: Mantano Reader (like aldiko+ezpdf)

[Purple Lady]

If those features actually worked it would be even better. If you use anything other than the default font, it displays any italics in a different font. The reason for that is that their built-in fonts don't include any italics! The same with bold fonts. The fact that they don't include any italics or bold in their own fonts is mind boggling. That is very basic.

If you choose left justified it usually doesn't work. There are so few changes you can make that I don't understand why they can't get them to work. Until of course I remember that they screwed up the fonts they themselves include.

This screenshot shows the problems.

[DiapDealer]

I've never had a bit of trouble with fonts not displaying properly (italic or otherwise) with Bookari/Mantano. I can also force left-align on the vast majority of my books that typically default to justified. I assume the few epubs that I can't use Bookari to force the different text-alignment are doing something funky in the epub to prevent it. *shrug*

EDIT: Never mind, I see what you mean about the fonts. I've just never used anything other than the default font (or a personalized font in which I supplied all 4/5 font-files necessary). But I still have no problem overriding default text-alignment (except for the few epubs that prevent it by having "unwise" internal formatting).

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I've never had a bit of trouble with fonts not displaying properly (italic or otherwise) with Bookari/Mantano. I can also force left-align on the vast majority of my books that typically default to justified. I assume the few epubs that I can't use Bookari to force the different text-alignment are doing something funky in the epub to prevent it. *shrug*

EDIT: Never mind, I see what you mean about the fonts. I've just never used anything other than the default font (or a personalized font in which I supplied all 4/5 font-files necessary). But I still have no problem overriding default text-alignment (except for the few epubs that prevent it by having "unwise" internal formatting).

Yeah, the fonts they download in their own program do not work. My own fonts work fine.

I have found occasional books that the left justify works for, but most don't for me.

[stumped]

Any one else seeing a bug in the details view option in bookshelf views. All my covers in that view are badly cropped in the new v4, list and thumbnail views are ok. Did not happen in 3.15.
Also, looks like free cloud log in now allows many more books, used to be only 4. I am not using that option as I still can't figure how to make it play nicely with calibre companion. Bookari cloud, last time I tried it, likes to move, not copy books to different folders so CC database is messed up.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by stumped

Any one else seeing a bug in the details view option in bookshelf views. All my covers in that view are badly cropped in the new v4, list and thumbnail views are ok. Did not happen in 3.15.

I DO see badly cropped images in the details view. That's not a view I use, though, so I wouldn't know if it was new to v4.

Also, looks like free cloud log in now allows many more books, used to be only 4. I am not using that option as I still can't figure how to make it play nicely with calibre companion. Bookari cloud, last time I tried it, likes to move, not copy books to different folders so CC database is messed up.

I've never had a need for any of the cloud features, so I've no idea if it behaves any differently in v4.

[stumped]

Thanks for confirm, I use details view as it shows pages read, the other views do not.
I don't really need cloud, I would like last page read sync across devices is all, without having the book uploaded also.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by stumped

Any one else seeing a bug in the details view option in bookshelf views. All my covers in that view are badly cropped in the new v4, list and thumbnail views are ok. Did not happen in 3.15.
Also, looks like free cloud log in now allows many more books, used to be only 4. I am not using that option as I still can't figure how to make it play nicely with calibre companion. Bookari cloud, last time I tried it, likes to move, not copy books to different folders so CC database is messed up.

The cloud has always deleted your books and put them in its own folders. If they're deleting books, there is no way to use it with CC.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

The cloud has always deleted your books and put them in its own folders. If they're deleting books, there is no way to use it with CC.

that is what I found, I tried having CC and Bookari use the same download folder, and also tried giving them different ones, either way you get issues,
and CC has no plans to add a sync last page feature AFAIK( which is all I wanted cloud sync for - I don't need book copies in a bookari cloud ) It could work only if bookari used copy instead of move, when it imported a book to its own sync folder.
not only does it move, it also downloads copies to other devices, so if that is into a folder shared with CC on each device , CC is not aware of changes

[stumped]

actually the whole "import " and sync business is most confusing
this is definitely a " first world problem" for someonw with too much time on their hands I can and do get by just fine without Bookari cloud, but it frustrates that the documentation is so bad, and also their terminology

here's what I think I know & dont know

1. Import a book: if CC has copied book to tablet and I choose read, Bookari opens and says " importing", but really it is jsut creating a database record. the book remains in CC download folder and is not copied ot moved anywhere

2. Sync. ( not tested in v4 but likely to be same as in previous versions) If i choose sync this book or sync all books it moves, not copies to the specified sync folder in my bookari preferences. It is possible to define that to be the CC download folder in which case ( I think) it is not moved, but is now under dual ownership. As for deleting a synced book in bookari, that remains a mystery. It is not clear what is deleted, what is left behind.... I know that in past tests I have deleted a book, then re-added it via CC & resynced it to Bookari & ended up with 2 cloud records for the same book!

3. If I point bookari at my dropbox or other cloud storage, or a shared LAN folder, and I "open" a book, I have no idea if it then moves or copies said book onto the reader device and if so then to where - and does that change if said book is synced.

4. I cannot figure out how Bookari designers expects folks to manage the process of getting books onto a reader and then synced. do they expect side loading, network sharing... or what. they do not give examples

5. maybe it would be best used by opening My bookari on PC then drag n drop from calibre into that, thus puttign the book into their cloud, from where it could download to synced readers. but windows drag n drop will default to move, not copy if calibre and my Bookari are on the same drive.

I donet really want to create a whole battery of tests, I just wish they documented the options better so that there was an obvious simple way to get books as needed from some library program such as calibre or CC into the synced mantano cloud, without corrupting the source library datbases

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by stumped

that is what I found, I tried having CC and Bookari use the same download folder, and also tried giving them different ones, either way you get issues,
and CC has no plans to add a sync last page feature AFAIK( which is all I wanted cloud sync for - I don't need book copies in a bookari cloud ) It could work only if bookari used copy instead of move, when it imported a book to its own sync folder.
not only does it move, it also downloads copies to other devices, so if that is into a folder shared with CC on each device , CC is not aware of changes

CC can't add a sync feature because it's not a reading app.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by stumped

actually the whole "import " and sync business is most confusing
this is definitely a " first world problem" for someonw with too much time on their hands I can and do get by just fine without Bookari cloud, but it frustrates that the documentation is so bad, and also their terminology

here's what I think I know & dont know

1. Import a book: if CC has copied book to tablet and I choose read, Bookari opens and says " importing", but really it is jsut creating a database record. the book remains in CC download folder and is not copied ot moved anywhere

2. Sync. ( not tested in v4 but likely to be same as in previous versions) If i choose sync this book or sync all books it moves, not copies to the specified sync folder in my bookari preferences. It is possible to define that to be the CC download folder in which case ( I think) it is not moved, but is now under dual ownership. As for deleting a synced book in bookari, that remains a mystery. It is not clear what is deleted, what is left behind.... I know that in past tests I have deleted a book, then re-added it via CC & resynced it to Bookari & ended up with 2 cloud records for the same book!

3. If I point bookari at my dropbox or other cloud storage, or a shared LAN folder, and I "open" a book, I have no idea if it then moves or copies said book onto the reader device and if so then to where - and does that change if said book is synced.

4. I cannot figure out how Bookari designers expects folks to manage the process of getting books onto a reader and then synced. do they expect side loading, network sharing... or what. they do not give examples

5. maybe it would be best used by opening My bookari on PC then drag n drop from calibre into that, thus puttign the book into their cloud, from where it could download to synced readers. but windows drag n drop will default to move, not copy if calibre and my Bookari are on the same drive.

I donet really want to create a whole battery of tests, I just wish they documented the options better so that there was an obvious simple way to get books as needed from some library program such as calibre or CC into the synced mantano cloud, without corrupting the source library datbases

For #2 it won't work for anyone who keeps all their books on their device like I do. There would be too many files in a single folder causing performance problems in CC making it very slow.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

CC can't add a sync feature because it's not a reading app.

yes I appreciate that, which is why i tried again to see if bookari cloud was usable instead.

In more testing, i noticed another bookari flaw. I logged into the My bookari url on PC and used drag and drop to place a file from calibre and another , not from calibre, into My Bookari Cloud[ which now says I can store up to 50 books, used to be up to only four, for free ]
In both case the original file on my PC stays intact - good.
BUT I get a message saying files will be uploaded during the next few minutes with no progress bar and no guidance as to when it is safe to close the browser page.
Also the in-cloud versions appear with missing covers ever though both test files do have covers in the epubs. Not impressed. I have yet to try syncing those from cloud to the reader- maybe the reader app will generate covers...

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by stumped

yes I appreciate that, which is why i tried again to see if bookari cloud was usable instead.

In more testing, i noticed another bookari flaw. I logged into the My bookari url on PC and used drag and drop to place a file from calibre and another , not from calibre, into My Bookari Cloud[ which now says I can store up to 50 books, used to be up to only four, for free ]
In both case the original file on my PC stays intact - good.
BUT I get a message saying files will be uploaded during the next few minutes with no progress bar and no guidance as to when it is safe to close the browser page.
Also the in-cloud versions appear with missing covers ever though both test files do have covers in the epubs. Not impressed. I have yet to try syncing those from cloud to the reader- maybe the reader app will generate covers...

If you need syncing, try Moon+ reader. As long as the file name on each device is exactly the same it works great. Some people don't like Moon+ because it doesn't do a good job of respecting the css of the book, but for most fiction books that's fine with me. I had originally purchased Bookari because it does respect the css, but too much is now broken for me to use.

[stumped]

Did that a while back but I can't get on with how moon messes with css. Syncs well, as you say, writing only the page number to cloud. And has lots of features.
But What bugs me is when you have a book which styles the 1st letter of 1st sentence of each chapter, or does some more complex stuff with spans and with small caps also to the opening words. Moon tends to add spaces between styles that look all wrong, and editing out that stuff can be a chore if there are lots of spans.
I bought it and persevered for a few weeks but went back to mantano, as it was then called

To give due credit to both moon and bookari, when I switch to reading an unconverted amazon purchase in the kindle app, that feels much less user friendly and somewhat featureless.. Something like peeking to see how many pages to chaper end, without accidentally losing your current page, is way less easy. Moon can do that as a footer option. Kindle can only do time to chapter end, at not even that sometimes.
And kindle app has only 3 fixed background colours.

[stumped]

Another v4 bug, android version opens with a new Home screen, cannot be auto skipped. That shows the cover of each book with last page number and total pages superimposed, inside a progress circle. But it uses only 2 digits for last page read, so page 243 shows as page 43.
I kept wondering why the page counts were all wrong, then spotted that leading digit was dropped for 3 digit values.
When i go to the next screen , the books screen, then pages read is correct in details view.
I have only 4 books in use so all my books appear on that home screen. The bug would nèd to be checked when there are more books, than can fit on one screen.
It is stuff like this that suggests they still have no QA dept.
Home screen also shows a 1st page of each set of highlights, but with no title, so you see some highlighted sentences and have no clue what book they belong to.