Reader app for non-touchscreen Pocketbook 613

[groman]

Hello. I recently found an old Pocketbook 613 which doesn't have touchscreen. The display isn't very good, so I needed an app which can increase font weight. I found two options: KOReader and CoolReader. However, KOReader is oriented towards touchscreen devices and it's not very easy to go follow links and use dictionary. In that sense CoolReader looks like a better option, however it doesn't support Japanese fonts. Is there any other alternative for the two I mentioned?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by groman

Hello. I recently found an old Pocketbook 613 which doesn't have touchscreen. The display isn't very good, so I needed an app which can increase font weight. I found two options: KOReader and CoolReader. However, KOReader is oriented towards touchscreen devices and it's not very easy to go follow links and use dictionary. In that sense CoolReader looks like a better option, however it doesn't support Japanese fonts. Is there any other alternative for the two I mentioned?

Can you find a font you like and install it? I use Constantia on my PocketBooks because it's a nice, dark font — but I have no idea what would be a good Japanese font. (And I don't know if the 613 allowed adding fonts, but I think it did.)

Sorry to be of so little help.

[groman]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Can you find a font you like and install it? I use Constantia on my PocketBooks because it's a nice, dark font — but I have no idea what would be a good Japanese font. (And I don't know if the 613 allowed adding fonts, but I think it did.)

Sorry to be of so little help.

Thank you for your answer. I tried installing a custom font and choosing it in the settings, but font stayed the same. I think the application (adobe viewer) uses fonts embedded into the book and there's no setting to ignore them.

[church mouse]

From all the searching I did a couple of years ago, when I acquired my Verse Pro, I could not find any alternative readers for Pocketbook other than koreader and Coolreader. I wish there was one, because do not find any of them to be optimal.

[neil_swann80]

If you are unable to switch to an installed (heavier) font, I think you're out of luck unfortunately.

Whilst I dislike the modern "throw-away" culture we see with technology, when it comes to ones hobbies I see no harm in shortening the upgrade purchase window if the features offered by the upgrade provide a more pleasurable experience.

I say this in case you're feeling any guilt in retiring a device that whilst still functional is no longer ideal for your current requirement. Essentially treat yourself! And perhaps gift the old device to someone with use of it.

[groman]

I think I will try to look into CoolReader's code and try to figure something out. If I won't figure anything out, I will probably use CoolReader anyways because it's better than both KOReader and default reader app on my Pocketbook. Another option that I have is to order a new screen for 15 euro off AliExpress, which should probably fix the readability issue and occasional text fading issue. And the third option is to read with bigger font size in the default reader, which would probably be the easiest fix.

[Cyfranek]

Originally Posted by groman

Thank you for your answer. I tried installing a custom font and choosing it in the settings, but font stayed the same. I think the application (adobe viewer) uses fonts embedded into the book and there's no setting to ignore them.

Be sure to put *.ttf files into (already existing) hidden "system/fonts" folder. I can use my own fonts on my PB (616) Basic Lux 2 (non-touchscreen) and Basic Lux (615) as well without any problem. I think there is quite the similar firmware to your PB 613.

[groman]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

Be sure to put *.ttf files into (already existing) hidden "system/fonts" folder. I can use my own fonts on my PB (161) Basic Lux 3 (non-touchscreen) and Basic Lux (615) as well without any problem. I think there is quite the similar firmware to your PB 613.

I did put my font into that folder and they show up, I tried using the pre-installed fonts and it didn't work either. I think the application uses the font specified by the e-book you read.

[groman]

So, I tried instaling Japanese font (Noto Sans Japanese) and writing some japanese characters to a .txt file. When I opened the file using built-in fbreader and selected the newly installed font the characters displayed correctly. Also, I noticed that only built-in Adobe Viewer draws Japanese characters in the .epub book correctly.

[groman]

Reinstalled CoolReader, set fallback font to one with Japanese coverage and it worked.

[DJUNGELSKOG]

Originally Posted by neil_swann80

If you are unable to switch to an installed (heavier) font, I think you're out of luck unfortunately.

Whilst I dislike the modern "throw-away" culture we see with technology, when it comes to ones hobbies I see no harm in shortening the upgrade purchase window if the features offered by the upgrade provide a more pleasurable experience.

I say this in case you're feeling any guilt in retiring a device that whilst still functional is no longer ideal for your current requirement. Essentially treat yourself! And perhaps gift the old device to someone with use of it.

If only the newer Pocketbook models had this feature...

[neil_swann80]

Originally Posted by DJUNGELSKOG

If only the newer Pocketbook models had this feature...

Ha, true!

But as font weight is only required by the OP because of the older and poorer display of the 613, the OP would likely not need it on a newer Pocketbook. With touch support on a newer Pocketbook, Koreader (which has font weight support) would also be viable; IMHO its far better than the stock reader experience on any of the big ereader devices (once you've conquered the learning curve and taken the time to set it up to your preference).

And of course, suggesting a new device doesn't mean it has to be a Pocketbook. I'd recommend a Kobo unless you want the native TTS or audio book side-loading that the (pro) Pocketbooks offer.

[church mouse]

Originally Posted by neil_swann80

Ha, true!
IMHO its far better than the stock reader experience on any of the big ereader devices (once you've conquered the learning curve and taken the time to set it up to your preference).

I am curious as to what your experience has been of battery drain using Koreader on a Pocketbook?

I have used Koreader on a Kindle, on various Kobos, and on an Onyx Boox and always found it somewhat heavier on the battery than other reading apps, but on my Pocketbook Verse Pro it approaches 3x quicker battery drain than the stock reader or Coolreader.

[neil_swann80]

Originally Posted by church mouse

I am curious as to what your experience has been of battery drain using Koreader on a Pocketbook?
...but on my Pocketbook Verse Pro it approaches 3x quicker battery drain than the stock reader or Coolreader.

I haven't noticed any battery drain on my HD3 (which I believe is very similar to the Verse Pro) since switching to Koreader. I certainly have not experienced 3x the battery drain.

I now exclusively use Koreader, reading daily with intermittent marathon sessions. I rarely have to charge the device more than once every 3-4 weeks.

Is your device set to auto power-off? WIFI and BT off as default? Any extra plugins added?

[church mouse]

My Pocketbook is set to power off after 2 hours of non-use. The only things added to the reader are Koreader and Coolreader. Wifi is almost permanently off (only switched on if I have a book to download via pbsync).

I have removed and re-installed Koreader several times in case something became corrupted during installation but no change. The power loss is as I am reading - I have measured battery drainage per Xn pages read (both within the same book and per book) and Koreader is consistently much higher. On all of my previous Kobo readers, power drainage has always been higher with Koreader than with the default reader but by a much smaller amount.

This high drainage was a surprise to me when I installed it on the Pocketbook 2 years ago and nothing I did improved it. I have since assumed (apparently incorrectly) that Koreader is simply not as well written for efficient use on a Pocketbook.

Thank you for replying.