Kobalt: an alternative reader app for Kobo devices

[JSWolf]

Do I need to uninstall NickelTypeFix before installing Kobalt?

Are you going to be able to keep up with updates in KOReader?

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Using the Android version on my phone when.i.drlevy the Dictionary option in settings I don't see what language a dictionary is for.

Attachment 227109

Thank you for a great release! It works really well on my Libra 2. Now I'll patiently wait for fb2 support to be added while I read my epubs

On Android I also have this problem with the dictionaries. On my device I just see the two first letters of the dictionary name. It would be great if pressing the dictionary entry in the list would open a page with more information about it - like the full name, size, how many headwords, when it was last updated, where it's from, etc.

I also wonder where dictionaries should be installed on Android and what format they should have. Kobo dictionaries, stardict?

In the release notes for beta 5 it states improved refresh handling on Boox devices. But page refreshes still don't work. I have tried this on a Palma 1. Is this something that is going to be implemented in the future?

[MrSilverstrike]

Originally Posted by Dal Bhat

Not a complaint but an observation: in landscape mode, the header/footer customization is too scrunched together to allow the various zones to be selected to choose an option for display. Have to revert to portrait to be able to touch the selectable points in the grid.

Originally Posted by PeterT

Using the Android version on my phone when.i.drlevy the Dictionary option in settings I don't see what language a dictionary is for.

Originally Posted by kandwo

On Android I also have this problem with the dictionaries. On my device I just see the two first letters of the dictionary name.

Right, the UI is sadly not optimized for Android phones yet, nor for landscape mode in some cases. Bear with me as I add proper support for those in beta 6.

Originally Posted by onlion

I wasn't using the tolino firmware because it was too slow but now with kobalt I can finally use Tolino firmware and cloud sync. The beta 5 is soo good I haven't encountered any issues yet. 1 thing that is missing is the page turning animation. Maybe you need to whitelist tolino devices? Anyways thank you for your hard work.

I still need to whitelist Tolino devices for animations, good catch.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Do I need to uninstall NickelTypeFix before installing Kobalt?

Are you going to be able to keep up with updates in KOReader?

You do not need to uninstall NickelTypeFix. I'd recommend keeping it installed, since you can use Kobalt and the built-in reader side-by-side if you'd like.

As far as keeping up with updates in KOReader is concerned: I don't necessarily need to! Only the engine may benefit from periodic updates, and I'm already running a customized version of the engine anyway.

I have an automated task set up that keeps the engine in sync with upstream, so it shouldn't be much of an issue, I suspect.

Originally Posted by kandwo

I also wonder where dictionaries should be installed on Android and what format they should have. Kobo dictionaries, stardict?

In the release notes for beta 5 it states improved refresh handling on Boox devices. But page refreshes still don't work. I have tried this on a Palma 1. Is this something that is going to be implemented in the future?

On Android, Beta 5 currently supports dictionaries installed through Settings → Lookup, where you can download the available dictionaries. There isn’t a supported folder for sideloading your own dictionaries yet.

And what do you mean "page refreshes still don't work"? I integrated the SDK for the Boox Go series (Android 13), so it's possible more work needs to be done for proper Palma support as well, which runs an older version of Android.

[afakler]

Beta 5 now includes really everthing i can imagine, so no wishes left for now.

One Remark: The sliders in Paragraph adjustments should be more sensitive. First-line-indent for example jums from 0 1o 100 and thats really annoying if you want 60.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by MrSilverstrike

Right, the UI is sadly not optimized for Android phones yet, nor for landscape mode in some cases. Bear with me as I add proper support for those in beta 6.



I still need to whitelist Tolino devices for animations, good catch.



You do not need to uninstall NickelTypeFix. I'd recommend keeping it installed, since you can use Kobalt and the built-in reader side-by-side if you'd like.

As far as keeping up with updates in KOReader is concerned: I don't necessarily need to! Only the engine may benefit from periodic updates, and I'm already running a customized version of the engine anyway.

I have an automated task set up that keeps the engine in sync with upstream, so it shouldn't be much of an issue, I suspect.



On Android, Beta 5 currently supports dictionaries installed through Settings → Lookup, where you can download the available dictionaries. There isn’t a supported folder for sideloading your own dictionaries yet.

And what do you mean "page refreshes still don't work"? I integrated the SDK for the Boox Go series (Android 13), so it's possible more work needs to be done for proper Palma support as well, which runs an older version of Android.

I mean just that: there is never a full page refresh. Not when open and closing the menu nor on page turns (I set it to every page). I tried it on Palma 1 (Android 11), Go 10, 1st gen (Android 12) and Go 7 (Android 13). It doesn't work on any of them. I also tried it with different refresh settings for the app (HD, Regal) since some apps such as Alreader X only support screen refresh on Regal mode.

Thank you for clarifying about the dictionaries. I will try the ones in the menu. Is support planned to add you own?

[rantanplan]

Proper tracking via KOsync only works if all devices have binary identical epubs, correct?

[MrSilverstrike]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Proper tracking via KOsync only works if all devices have binary identical epubs, correct?

You have two options, binary or name based matching. For the best results, use binary, yes. You'd want identical epubs for that.

[MrSilverstrike]

Originally Posted by kandwo

I mean just that: there is never a full page refresh. Not when open and closing the menu nor on page turns (I set it to every page). I tried it on Palma 1 (Android 11), Go 10, 1st gen (Android 12) and Go 7 (Android 13). It doesn't work on any of them. I also tried it with different refresh settings for the app (HD, Regal) since some apps such as Alreader X only support screen refresh on Regal mode.

Thank you for clarifying about the dictionaries. I will try the ones in the menu. Is support planned to add you own?

Ah, I see! It's possible that the refresh setting not being respected is a bug. I'll take a look.

Dictionary support... I'll look into it. Don't see why it wouldn't be possible, it's just that the Android app right now doesn't scan any particular directories for dictionaries.

[fogice]

Originally Posted by onlion

1 thing that is missing is the page turning animation. Maybe you need to whitelist tolino devices? Anyways thank you for your hard work.

Originally Posted by MrSilverstrike

I still need to whitelist Tolino devices for animations, good catch.

Could we whitelist the Libra 2 as well? I know that only some versions work, but mine works with NickelDissolve, and I miss the animation. Maybe where it currently says "Disabled because this option is not supported on this device" it could instead say "Caution: May not work properly on this device".

[fogice]

I'm intrigued by KOSync. Are there any compatible readers that work on iOS devices? And where do I learn about sync servers?

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by fogice

I'm intrigued by KOSync. Are there any compatible readers that work on iOS devices? And where do I learn about sync servers?

Readest is certainly my preferred reader on the iPhone.

[JSWolf]

Are you adding RMSDK page numbers to beta 6 if they are not in beta 5?

[MrSilverstrike]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Are you adding RMSDK page numbers to beta 6 if they are not in beta 5?

No plans for this right now. It'd require too many changes to how page numbering works and you'd need books that support the `page-map` extension. It's not something I'm personally interested in supporting right now, at least not before v1.0 is out.

[rantanplan]

Aren't Adobe page numbers super arbitrary anyway?

[MrSilverstrike]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Aren't Adobe page numbers super arbitrary anyway?

Not if they're part of the epub file. If present in the epub, they're essentially mapped to what a physical copy might look like. I say might look like, since books get revisions etc. so page numbers aren't always reliable between the same book assuming revisions.

If they aren't present via the extension inside of the epub, they're literally made up based on the compressed size of the book. Invented, essentially. And they break between different types of compression. Hence, not keen on adding this -- maybe only if they're included as part of the epub.

Originally Posted by fogice

Could we whitelist the Libra 2 as well? I know that only some versions work, but mine works with NickelDissolve, and I miss the animation. Maybe where it currently says "Disabled because this option is not supported on this device" it could instead say "Caution: May not work properly on this device".

Sure, not a bad idea.