Is there a simple summary of what devices work " out of the box" with calibre - Page 3

HarryT · 02-09-2014, 04:51 AM

Yes, tablets sold by bookstores come with a built-in reading app, but generic tablets generally don't. You download whichever app you want from the tablet's appstore.

I'd suggest looking in the "Android" forum for advice on which are the best Android reading apps; it's not really appropriate for the Calibre forum.

Terisa de morgan · 02-09-2014, 05:11 AM

As you have already managed books with calibre for a Sony device, I'm assuming out-of-the-box means after configuring metadata management and "send to device" driver. It it's so, Kobo works "out-of-the-box". You can sideload books as you like, and it supports ADE authorization, so no walled garden there. There're more options if you like, but that's the way always with calibre.

No advice for tablet, however, as I've set up as I pleased after playing with it, so no advice for no tech-savvies.

theducks · 02-09-2014, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

PS I have no ides what this means but I have 64 bit Windows 7 if that helps
"Android devices are not USB unfriendly as long as your computer supports MTP."

can we keep anything to do with tablets at the "for absolute dummies" level please.

That means: Just Plug it in.

W7 is not XP or OSX which have problems with MTP (mode) devices

I put in the mode, because my Sansa clip+ has a USB setting to let it look like a regular drive.

cybmole · 02-19-2014, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

As you have already managed books with calibre for a Sony device, I'm assuming out-of-the-box means after configuring metadata management and "send to device" driver. It it's so, Kobo works "out-of-the-box". You can sideload books as you like, and it supports ADE authorization, so no walled garden there. There're more options if you like, but that's the way always with calibre.

.

well I'm here with a new Kobo aura - HD & so much for "out of the box."

calibre says it has sent to books & that they are on the device.
the Kobo aura HD stubbornly says " no books"- except for the 2 screens full of user guide clones ( see below)

this is exactly what I was hoping to be warned about - now look forward to frustratingly searching for what ELSE I need to do before I can read anything

update; 2nd attempt- 1st time I ejected it it went into an "updating" sulk for several minutes before declaring "no books"
on this 2nd try it's admitting that it has 2 - so some slow progress.
very unfriendly set up process. a forced connect to kobo desktop before it would work at all, then a mandatory slow upgrade....
then the desktop kobo program sets a set of about 12 user guide books, one for each model they make, & for each language they speak, all with identical titles... I have managed to delete those now... but hey, by tomorrow I may have actually managed to read something.....

cybmole · 02-19-2014, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No issues at all with AuraHD and calibre. Beware, it's hard to go back to a lesser resolution screen once you've used the HD for a while

ETA: definitely not colour, though

Jackie - I am very confused by the font controls:
I have put on 2 test books, both have been run thru calibre conversion, they have no embedded fonts , no adobe CSS stuff, and I have this added the following line both via the conversion and by append Css in modify plug in:
p { font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;}
I also have standard 1em font size in both books

So in sigil they look identical, ditto on Sony device , but on this new Kobo they look noticeably different - one book appears in a much "nicer" font than the other, and at a slightly different size. I have set Kobo font option to use original document font, I can't see what else to tweak to make them both display the same

so what is going on here- any ideas. I much prefer having all my converted books appear with a standard font & font size...

jackie_w · 02-19-2014, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

Jackie - I am very confused by the font controls:
I have put on 2 test books, both have been run thru calibre conversion, they have no embedded fonts , no adobe CSS stuff, and I have this added the following line both via the conversion and by append Css in modify plug in:
p { font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;}
I also have standard 1em font size in both books

So in sigil they look identical, ditto on Sony device , but on this new Kobo they look noticeably different - one book appears in a much "nicer" font than the other, and at a slightly different size. I have set Kobo font option to use original document font, I can't see what else to tweak to make them both display the same

so what is going on here- any ideas. I much prefer having all my converted books appear with a standard font & font size...

Best advice is to remove all font-family specific statements from the CSS and choose your font from the Kobo font menu -- either one of its built-in fonts or your sideloaded ones -- have you read up on how to do that, yet? You need to get the filenames just right.

There shouldn't be any problems with any hard-coded font-size: 1em CSS.

cybmole · 02-19-2014, 01:56 PM

Jackie:
I've started a thread on kobo forum as that's a better place to continue discussion
please have a look there & help me out.

the one test book referred to above had an extra div wrap around the story text with a generic font-family:serif; setting. I made that an explicit
font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;
and it's brought that book into line, I think. I can get font size changes to apply via reader slides but not font family choices; with those, all that happens when I cycle thru those is that is the line space changes!?
I don't want to remove "all specific font family statements" because Sigil book view then becomes ugly. I may need to be more organised though with what I include, if things that were ignored by Sony reader are not going to be ignored by Kobo. same may apply to line height. I'd learnt that line height 1.2em was the same as not specifying a line height at all, for Sony. That may not be true for Kobo.

anyway. lets take it to the Kobo forum. Once I get my head around how book CSS & Kobo reader settings settle any disputes between themselves / resolve any differences, then I will know how to tweak my calibre conversion extra CSS

if you can point me at specific threads where some questions may already have been answered, that will help, the board search function is not really homing in on what I need to know. ( like what does kobo assume if all it sees if font-family:serif; - does it have other fonts "under the bonnet" which is uses when it sees font-family:times; etc etc.

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02-09-2014, 04:51 AM	#31
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,548 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, tablets sold by bookstores come with a built-in reading app, but generic tablets generally don't. You download whichever app you want from the tablet's appstore. I'd suggest looking in the "Android" forum for advice on which are the best Android reading apps; it's not really appropriate for the Calibre forum.

02-09-2014, 05:11 AM	#32
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,636 Karma: 12595249 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	As you have already managed books with calibre for a Sony device, I'm assuming out-of-the-box means after configuring metadata management and "send to device" driver. It it's so, Kobo works "out-of-the-box". You can sideload books as you like, and it supports ADE authorization, so no walled garden there. There're more options if you like, but that's the way always with calibre. No advice for tablet, however, as I've set up as I pleased after playing with it, so no advice for no tech-savvies.

02-19-2014, 01:56 PM	#37
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	Jackie: I've started a thread on kobo forum as that's a better place to continue discussion please have a look there & help me out. the one test book referred to above had an extra div wrap around the story text with a generic font-family:serif; setting. I made that an explicit font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; and it's brought that book into line, I think. I can get font size changes to apply via reader slides but not font family choices; with those, all that happens when I cycle thru those is that is the line space changes!? I don't want to remove "all specific font family statements" because Sigil book view then becomes ugly. I may need to be more organised though with what I include, if things that were ignored by Sony reader are not going to be ignored by Kobo. same may apply to line height. I'd learnt that line height 1.2em was the same as not specifying a line height at all, for Sony. That may not be true for Kobo. anyway. lets take it to the Kobo forum. Once I get my head around how book CSS & Kobo reader settings settle any disputes between themselves / resolve any differences, then I will know how to tweak my calibre conversion extra CSS if you can point me at specific threads where some questions may already have been answered, that will help, the board search function is not really homing in on what I need to know. ( like what does kobo assume if all it sees if font-family:serif; - does it have other fonts "under the bonnet" which is uses when it sees font-family:times; etc etc.

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