Why no Android?

[Mono]

Guys, let's move on!

I am not into either android or linux.

What interesting android/linux applications would be suitable for work on eink reader (or generaly for work with documents)? [EDIT] Freeware would be best, but commercial sw suggestions are also valuable.[/EDIT]

Possibly some of them could be ported to M92. But the question is what applications should be ported?

Some of you probably use some suitable android/linux applications. Let us make a list of prefered ones. Then Onyx might port them or someone else. First we have to know, what we want to be done, then find the solution...

[tuxor]

Mono seems to be the only sensible person in this thread who cares for what's a really necessary and realistic request.

Maybe it will be hard to get the Kindle App without Android. But I'm keen on hearing which functions you are interested in besides that.

[PF4Mobile]

Are you interested in porting apps ? Here is one ezPDF Reader. Android app. It is not open source. If ported that would be the end of all our problems. I guess you have better chances to port Android itself
Above you should be more specific, you are referring to open source apps
Rather than porting apps I would vote for improving the existing PDF reader
I believe all that is needed is in the git repository. Too bad I do not have the skills to do that.

[Mono]

OK, so far we have Kindle App and ezPDF Reader.

None of them freeware. Could someone who understands androlid and linux workings estimate, if ezPDF Reader could possibly run on M92 with not too much effort? For example would current M92 hardware drivers be suitable for android app?

What more applications are missing on M92?

The only thing I really miss (besides improving ergonomy of current pdf reader and more advanced work with scribles, annotations and 'underlining') is something to maintain order in thousands articles and books.

EDIT:
I looked at ezPDF Reader. It is nice app. My question is. Is it possible to use it (at all or decently) without multitouch (M92 does not have multitouch capability)? And is it possible to disable visual effects like animation of turning pages and others?

If not, then it would be (to my opinion) hardly usable on eink (without modification) with android.

[Randy11]

An intersing tool MATANO for reading and annotate with export, from : http://www.mantano.com/mantano-reade...roid/features/
The demo for the free version : https://market.android.com/details?i...from_developer

It will be nice to have it on the M92.

[PF4Mobile]

I already looked at ezPDF on eInk on Android. I have it running on my Nook
Apparently there is a way to disable annimations at least for page turning
http://www.unidocs.com/download/ezPD...rief_Guide.pdf
see page 13
this is a unique link, I run into this page this morning for the first time ever, the application, although it is a very good one has no manual!!! I believe this is a manual somebody else wrote.

back to the topic: porting Android to this ereader would be a huge huge achievement. I do not thik it is possible without Onyx's help. If the drivers are included in the git repository then it might be possible.
As long as Nook Touch runs fine on Android, M92 should also be OK.
The only reason why I am not currently using ezpdf on Nook is the screen size. Otherwise will all the screen flickering it is OK

Edit: I just looked at the new features added since I last used the app- it now supports pen pressure ! This is rare to find even among the desktop apps. I know just two that have that.

with this pdf reader in the very moment when you have Androind ported to a 10" you have the prefect ereader for PDFs

[Mono]

Fine, good news it runs satisfactory on eink! Maybe it could be ported to M92 by Unidocs developers... I have no idea, how much different android and M92's and PB 9xx linuxs are.

[tuxor]

Originally Posted by Mono

Fine, good news it runs satisfactory on eink! Maybe it could be ported to M92 by Unidocs developers... I have no idea, how much different android and M92's and PB 9xx linuxs are.

As far as I know, Android apps are written in Java and depend on a whole bunch of Android-specific libraries. Sometimes it might be possible to get some very small non-graphical linux-tools to run on Android. But forget about the other way round, you'd have to reprogramm at least the whole GUI... And that's a lot for ezpdf.

You should rather write down which functionalities of ezPDF you love and try to convince somebody to implement them into an existing pdf viewer for our Boox firmware.

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

I already looked at ezPDF on eInk on Android. I have it running on my Nook
Apparently there is a way to disable annimations at least for page turning
http://www.unidocs.com/download/ezPD...rief_Guide.pdf
see page 13
this is a unique link, I run into this page this morning for the first time ever, the application, although it is a very good one has no manual!!! I believe this is a manual somebody else wrote.

back to the topic: porting Android to this ereader would be a huge huge achievement. I do not thik it is possible without Onyx's help. If the drivers are included in the git repository then it might be possible.
As long as Nook Touch runs fine on Android, M92 should also be OK.
The only reason why I am not currently using ezpdf on Nook is the screen size. Otherwise will all the screen flickering it is OK

Edit: I just looked at the new features added since I last used the app- it now supports pen pressure ! This is rare to find even among the desktop apps. I know just two that have that.

with this pdf reader in the very moment when you have Androind ported to a 10" you have the prefect ereader for PDFs

I "stole" that from xda-developers - I find it pretty amazing:

Apps that work on my Nook Touch :

- Shift puzzle game
- Tacticon (turn-based strategy game)
- AnDrawing
- AnkiDroid flashcards
- Concise Oxford English Dictionary
- FreeNote
- RealCalc
- SetCPU (300-800 MHz)
- Black White Board Game
- Landrule (turn-based strategy game)
- Mindjet for Android (Mindmapping software)
- Reversi (Blind Logic)


-Chess (Tojo) [IMO the best chess app for Nook. {2 player hotseat!}]

- Ebooka PDF , ezPDF Reader (IMO best pdf viewers. Tested every pdf viewer in the Market)



Working for me:

Cool Reader
Moon+reader
MobiManga

NutsNBolts

Antivirus Free (Creative Apps)
AdFree Android (bigtincan)
Minimalist (the one with the white squared icon in market. Looks great on the eInk.)
Fancy Widgets
inkpad notepad
Opera mini
Battery Saver
File Manager (Rhythm Software)
Battery Saver - Power Defender (android Dev)
Permissions Denied

Games

Chess Free (AI Factory, has ghosting. Open to a simpler program?)
Suduko Free (genina)
Mahjong (magma.. has ghosting but not bad)
Word Search (meliots)
Choice of the Dragon
Four in a Row HD
Crimson Feilds
PG Calculator

[PF4Mobile]

Originally Posted by Beryll Snyder

I "stole" that from xda-developers - I find it pretty amazing:

Apps that work on my Nook Touch :

- Ebooka PDF

never seen this one before
I will give it a try

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

never seen this one before
I will give it a try

Do you have any idea if Evernote or something similar would work?

[kamizase]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

As long as Nook Touch runs fine on Android, M92 should also be OK.

This is a _very_ questionable statement.

The Nook Touch has a different SOC inside, a TI OMAP3621. That one contains a PowerVR SGX530 gpu. This is an old 3d video accelerator, but it does have OpenGL ES 2.0 capability. While the Freescale iMX508 used on most modern ereaders doesn't have anything like that, no need for 3d acceleration in a ereader. So it won't run anything that makes OpenGL calls (and those doesn't have to be 3d related, 2d is accelerated too). That means that Beryll's list doesn't mean a lot in the context of other devices than Nooks.

Which is probably why ereader manufacturers aren't storming to install Android on their devices, because what would be the point of that? Android market? If this is such a great idea, why doesn't Nook come with it? Why do you have to root it first?

One word: control.

Can you guarantee your device will run every possible app out there? Apparently you can't with the given hardware. Which is why widespread Android in ereaders is a Pipedream, at least during the current generation. Maybe next...

[PF4Mobile]

Finally an educated opinion on this.
I have no intentions to challenge your opinions on hardware since I have no time to read about all those hardware pieces you indicated. It that is the case then ...good bye Android on 10", RIP. That makes my investment in M92 a little bit safer :-) and as I see progress on the PDF reader I guess my investment was a wise one.

One naive question here: why do I need the accelerator
For most of us Android is wanted just so we can run our preferred PDF readers or other format readers. I do not think that anyone of us wants to play on eInk. Doesn't make sense.
So for reading it should be fine though

Since you seem to have knowledge about hardware here is one last question: what would be the main challenge when implementing an eInk monitor? Assume that it will be used jut for reading but attached to a computer with its own video controller... is this possible?

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by kamizase

That means that Beryll's list doesn't mean a lot in the context of other devices than Nooks.

Which is probably why ereader manufacturers aren't storming to install Android on their devices, because what would be the point of that? Android market? If this is such a great idea, why doesn't Nook come with it? Why do you have to root it first?

One word: control.

Can you guarantee your device will run every possible app out there? Apparently you can't with the given hardware. Which is why widespread Android in ereaders is a Pipedream, at least during the current generation. Maybe next...

Android on E-ink maybe a pipedream, but so are the crippled Linuxes as well with their dismal performance.
The discussion here was: would it not be better to use Android(with modifications) instead of of begging and hoping to have some basic software inplemented in PB and Onyx.

And for the hundreth time: who wants to run ALL apps on a e-ink device?
We need only SOME apps - actualy between 5 and 10 ...

[Mono]

OK. What android applications (5-10) do you recomend. You know them and use them.

But, please no games, energy saving utilities, etc. Just 'serious' 'productivity' tools for text (information) processing (reading, anotating/scribling, books management, dictionary, web browser, etc.).