PRS+: Enhanced firmware for Sony Reader, Folders, Games & more

[goaspy]

Hi Kartu, do you think you can add a 'pages per hour' option for the status bar?
I like the ppm option and time to finish, but I estimate my reading in hours.

Cheers.

[keun]

Hello Kartu,

first of all thank you, for making such a nice fw mod, but I'm missing one functionality that I belive it's easy to implement: in the key bindings part to add a pause song functionality, this is nice when reading a audiobook together with an ebook, so if one get a interruption when reading it can do a fast pause in the audiobook (without going to main menu and so)

Thanks

[sebasdoes]

Let me copy paste this from my feature request I just now made, because I also have a question about it:
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Is there a possibility to add support for Japanese fonts to the PRS-600? The person at this page http://pc-parts.cocolog-nifty.com/bl...6002-bc2d.html has done it as well, but it would be great if it was integrated into this project. I would like to see Japanese when browsing for books and be able to put Japanese text files (so no PDF) on the e-reader without seeing gibberish. This can be UTF-8, or SJIS, or whatever. I don't mind. If you need anything translated, you can contact me on sebastiaan@akiha.something.nl, but then without the something in it. Use akiha.nl after the at mark.
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Anyway, I saw this part about adding fonts in the Install Guide, would that do what I wanted?

[delphin]

Originally Posted by sebasdoes

. . .
Is there a possibility to add support for Japanese fonts to the PRS-600? The person at this page http://pc-parts.cocolog-nifty.com/bl...6002-bc2d.html has done it as well, but it would be great if it was integrated into this project. I would like to see Japanese when browsing for books and be able to put Japanese text files (so no PDF) on the e-reader without seeing gibberish. This can be UTF-8, or SJIS, or whatever. I don't mind. If you need anything translated, you can contact me on sebastiaan@akiha.something.nl, but then without the something in it. Use akiha.nl after the at mark.
------

Anyway, I saw this part about adding fonts in the Install Guide, would that do what I wanted?

Yes and No.

YES, adding a Unicode font with Japanese character support should let you read Japanese EPUBs as long as their encoding is fully unicode compliant, and as long as we are talking about standard left-to-right horizontal style (hidari yokogaki 左横書き , not vertical right-to-left cursive style).

But sadly, no, just adding a custom font alone will not 'localize' your PRS-600, and change the menu text etc. to Japanese.

Localizing for Japanese is tricky because not only would the menu resource files need to be translated manually into Japanese, but we would also need to change ALL the system fonts (not just the EPUB CSS fonts) to ones that supports Japanese Unicode.

In the mean time, until this is available, why don't you simply embed a Japanese Unicode font right into your EPUB?

Embedding fonts inside the EPUB, and calling them out in the EPUB's CSS is actually fairly simple, and in a way this is even better.

Better, because embedding the font into the EPUB itself insures that this EPUB will not only work on your Sony, but will also work on ALL Sony's and also render correctly on other systems that do not have Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji fonts available.

[troll05]

Hi,
just got my 350 and would also like to upgrade PRS +, only because of the font selection, because I'm pretty spoiled by my PB, so first a few questions:

- As the 350 does not have a SD / MS slot, will it also prevent the scanning of the internal memory? I tend to collect books and the pack the reader pretty full

- Is there a base flash for the 350? On the project side of Porkupan I found different "Flash Packages 350", it is what I need? http://projects.mobileread.com/reade...lash_packages/

- What is an "Update Tool ", which is available on Porkupans project page for download? http://projects.mobileread.com/reade.../PRS350/tools/

- IS the "Browse Folder" option like an explorer? Does the Sony Reader software support storage by folders? Or do I get the same as in Calibre, and have to create folders and subfolders with my explorer and then shove them over?

- How does this infuse warranty, if the reader bricks and you do not have the original software on it?

- If I decide not to change, how do I install other fonts? I'm sure it is described here somewhere else, but when I ask questions anyway ...

Thanks in advance ....

[Kast]

Sorry to bother you again but I have another question: This problem happens in both the original and PRS+ firmware. Is there a solution about it? (the problem is only recreated when I choose Medium or Large Fonts on the reader)

[Ripplinger]

Ok, I finally took the plunge and installed the PRS+ on my 350 and have a few questions.

I can't seem to be able to change fonts. Under PRS+ Settings > Book Viewer Settings > User EPUB Style... I'm assuming that's where you would swap the CSS styles to change the font, but my only option there is "Disabled". What am I missing?

And under Menu Customizer... what are the various slots actually for? I've changed them and don't see anything different anywhere. The first 3 as Fixed slots 1-3 only have default as the option. But Slot 4-5 give options, yet I don't see anything that changes when I switch those.

[MrKyle]

I LOVE YOU!!

[Musashi]

No new builds for 300? Apart the 2.0.5 alpha?

[Mark Nord]

Originally Posted by troll05

- As the 350 does not have a SD / MS slot, will it also prevent the scanning of the internal memory? I tend to collect books and the pack the reader pretty full

I'm not absolutely sure, x50 are pretty fast, so scanning of IM shouldn't take to long. But, in earlier version there was a trigger-file ".noscan" which prevents scanning. Maybe this will do the trick.

- Is there a base flash for the 350? On the project side of Porkupan I found different "Flash Packages 350", it is what I need? http://projects.mobileread.com/reade...lash_packages/

You should use the lastest version of borodas (1.05k), or amutins Custom-FirmWare (CFW)

- What is an "Update Tool ", which is available on Porkupans project page for download? http://projects.mobileread.com/reade.../PRS350/tools/

Not needed if you use the 1.05k package.

- IS the "Browse Folder" option like an explorer? Does the Sony Reader software support storage by folders? Or do I get the same as in Calibre, and have to create folders and subfolders with my explorer and then shove them over?

Sony FW reads content in every folder accessible, and sorts them per author, date and title.
With PRS+ browse-folder you can browse a (user created) folder structure in IM or at SD/MS.

- How does this infuse warranty, if the reader bricks and you do not have the original software on it?

It may be at problem, but a defective device is seldomly check for a modified FW

- If I decide not to change, how do I install other fonts? I'm sure it is described here somewhere else, but when I ask questions anyway ...

You can use calibre to add a custom CSS file into your epubs.
This CSS-file can refer to fonts in /Data/fonts/ which is the folder /fonts/ in IM of your reader.
Use forum-search, as this is described over and over again.

HTH
Mark

[Mark Nord]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I can't seem to be able to change fonts. Under PRS+ Settings > Book Viewer Settings > User EPUB Style... I'm assuming that's where you would swap the CSS styles to change the font, but my only option there is "Disabled". What am I missing?

Two things:

1. any changes of the CSS file are applied only while opening a book.
   So you have to open another epub, and change then back to your current book to see the changes.
2. as the base-flasher is missing, there are different versions of pepaks-CSS-hacks in boroda/amutins CFW, with different filenames for the CSS-file and different filepath.
   Kartu has setup a special config-option in PRS+ to access the right files.
   Use forum-seach, as I don't remember the exact syntax, or check at the project site http://code.google.com/p/prs-plus/
3. Just click the "disabled" option to bring up all available CSS-files

And under Menu Customizer... what are the various slots actually for? I've changed them and don't see anything different anywhere. The first 3 as Fixed slots 1-3 only have default as the option. But Slot 4-5 give options, yet I don't see anything that changes when I switch those.

This should result in a change in the home-screen. Standard-FW-entries should be replaced by the selected options.

HTM
Mark

[Mark Nord]

Originally Posted by Musashi

No new builds for 300? Apart the 2.0.5 alpha?

Check BuildingPRPlus+ and you should be able to compile your own 2.0.10 installer for the 300ed.

PS: Don't follow step 5) in the ant-installation manual, as this will break the build-script.

[Mark Nord]

Originally Posted by Kast

problem happens in both the original and PRS+ firmware. Is there a solution about it? (the problem is only recreated when I choose Medium or Large Fonts on the reader)

This is obvious, as a PRS+ modified reader is still using the original Sony-programms to render content.

Your problem is caused by the reflow-mode, while font-size is set to something other then "S". As you have access to the sources, you should try to create "pure"-text PDF's without including the scanned bitmaps into the resulting PDF-file. (As recommended by elcreative in the post you mentioned)

[noxx]

ive installed prs+ on my prs650
question: i ve disable the scan of my sd-card. but the reader show the last 3 book which i has read on the home screen. is it possible, that the reader shows only book, that i have on my reader but not the books on my card?

[kartu]

Originally Posted by noxx

ive installed prs+ on my prs650
question: i ve disable the scan of my sd-card. but the reader show the last 3 book which i has read on the home screen. is it possible, that the reader shows only book, that i have on my reader but not the books on my card?

Even with disabled scan reader "sees" whatever was earlier found (and saved in cache) on the card earlier. You can wipe that cache by deleting Sony Reader folder on the card.

Have in mind, that both Reader Library & Calibre re create that cache file without asking you.