Marvin for iPhone and iPod touch submitted to the App Store

[chilady1]

Originally Posted by artbatista

If you enable the sync feature (home screen, settings, Dropbox service tab), when you leave a book or close Marvin, a sync record is written to Dropbox.

When you open Marvin on another device, you must manually sync (book reading screen, with toolbars showing, sync icon on bottom right).

And yes, you can load books directly thru any of the cloud services out there.

Art

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!! Got it to work! Yipee!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone!

[artbatista]

I'm glad I could help.

Art

[Shykat]

I did have to update my iOS to the newest one... I had been lazy about it. I honestly didn't remember that the new version didn't have the Google Maps app but I'm glad to hear that you can download it. I'll be doing that in just a bit. I don't use it often as I have a regular portable GPS that I use on vacations but you never know when you need a backup or a quick point in the right direction with using Google Maps on the phone

I'm just starting to get things set up the way I like them and I'm playing around with syncing the book that I'm reading. It doesn't seem to bring the book up to the exact paragraph I was reading.... maybe just close but I'm still playing around with it and learning. Any hints or tips on the syncing??

[Shykat]

I did find a question... I know in the iPad version, if you want to see the time and battery power at the top of the screen, you had to tap near the top. So far, same on the phone but is there any way that there can be a setting to leave that feature ON? I do happen to use the clock and battery power indicator a lot. Especially as I read while at lunch and, with only 30 min, I just want to glance up while reading, to see how much time I have left and not have to tap the screen.

If this isn't already in the program, I think I saw an area to submit requests... didn't I??

[artbatista]

Originally Posted by Shykat

I did find a question... I know in the iPad version, if you want to see the time and battery power at the top of the screen, you had to tap near the top. So far, same on the phone but is there any way that there can be a setting to leave that feature ON? I do happen to use the clock and battery power indicator a lot. Especially as I read while at lunch and, with only 30 min, I just want to glance up while reading, to see how much time I have left and not have to tap the screen.

No way to make the toolbars stick on all the time. Have you tried the read timer? You can set an alarm within Marvin that will let you know when your time's up. It's the clock icon on the top bar. See attached picture.

If this isn't already in the program, I think I saw an area to submit requests... didn't I??

Put in a feature request on GitHub. The area in question is:

https://github.com/kguil/Marvin-Road...ues?state=open


Art

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by FatCatElvis

I have iPhone 4, 32GB, iOS 5.1.1 (I also have iPad Mini, 64GB, iOS 6.1.2). Without going into a different topic tangent, there's ABSOLUTELY no way I'm going to upgrade my iPhone 4 to iOS6 because I HATE the AppleMap (extraordinarily inaccurate) and I rely on the native GoogleMap app.

You gotta be kidding me, FatCatElvis. Just upgrade your iPhone to iOS 6 right away, download the Google Maps app, (non-)issue resolved. I hate Apple's maps just like you do, but you don't need to use them in iOS 6. In fact, many iOS apps now even let you set up Google's maps as the default in iOS 6, for example the Chrome browser. (PS: I have an iPhone 4 just like you do.)

[FatCatElvis]

Originally Posted by holymadness

So download the new Google maps app when you update to iOS 6. This isn't a drama.

Yes I already looked at the app. Not as useful or seamless as native integrated Google Map. Anyways, I won't go into the details of why I think that the native integrated Google Map app is better than the one you have to install from AppStore. This is not the forum for it.

And it wasn't a drama, just an observation and a light-hearted message. Didn't really need your sarcastic reply.

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

You know there is a Google Map app available, right?

Yup, thanks.

Originally Posted by kguil

@FatCatElvis - Yes. The App Store should have prevented the purchase. I suppose you can contact Apple for a refund

Thank you. I already contacted Apple and they are processing the refund now. They are very good at refunding when there are valid reasons.

Originally Posted by Faterson

You gotta be kidding me, FatCatElvis.

Yup, I know. I already looked at all the options, way, methods of how I can utilize Google Map app. For now, I don't think it's quite there to be useful for me. Probably in another year. On my iPad Mini, I use both AppleMap and GoogleMap app. Neither is as seamless as the native and integrated GoogleMap. Anyways, moving back on track to this current thread...




As I already said before, I didn't want to go off in a another tangent discussion on iOS pros and cons, blah blah blah.

The original posting was, at the end of the day, meant as a compliment to the developers for their hard work in putting forth two amazing products, of which, I can only use the iPad version (for now).

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by FatCatElvis

Yes I already looked at the app. Not as useful or seamless as native integrated Google Map.

Again, you gotta be kidding me. It's the same app, or even better (because in an updated version directly fom Google), so it's at least just as useful, but very likely more useful than the old integrated Google maps. The iOS 6 Google maps are just as native as iOS 5 maps; they just aren't default iOS maps any longer.

But to each their own... some people enjoy inflicting unnecessary suffering on themselves, and it's not for us to deny them those pleasures.

[ProfCrash]

Learning to love the ignore button

[holymadness]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Learning to love the ignore button

Haha, et tu?

[sakura-panda]

Bought it. Now I have to figure out the easiest -- preferably automatic -- method to put my books in Dropbox so that I can take advantage of device syncing.

(I've all but abandoned managing my books offline. Now that all my readers have wi-fi, I download my books directly from the sites where I've purchased them. Once or twice a year I'll go out and round them up to save and organize in Calibre, but my library is all on my external hard drive, not in any accessible cloud. It looks like I'll be changing that -- this will make it worth the effort.)

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

put my books in Dropbox so that I can take advantage of device syncing.

That is a misunderstanding, just covered in another thread. There is no relation, in Marvin, between storing books and syncing books. You do not need to store any books in Dropbox in order to use Dropbox syncing. Dropbox is just the external "engine" that drives the syncing of books already internally stored in Marvin -- that's all.

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by Faterson

That is a misunderstanding, just covered in another thread. There is no relation, in Marvin, between storing books and syncing books. You do not need to store any books in Dropbox in order to use Dropbox syncing. Dropbox is just the external "engine" that drives the syncing of books already internally stored in Marvin -- that's all.

I don't have to have the book loaded on both devices? I did think that the book had come from the same cloud-based source in order to sync. I guess I am confused.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I don't have to have the book loaded on both devices?

You do -- but you could load the book onto those devices in any way you please: by emailing it to yourself, or downloading it from a webpage, or opening it from an alternative cloud app like SugarSync, Box.net or Copy.com. You never need to put any book into Dropbox in order to use Dropbox syncing.

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I did think that the book had to come from the same cloud-based source in order to sync.

No, any source will do, and Dropbox will sync it anyway.

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by Faterson

You do -- but you could load the book onto those devices in any way you please: by emailing it to yourself, or downloading it from a webpage, or opening it from an alternative cloud app like SugarSync, Box.net or Copy.com. You never need to put any book into Dropbox in order to use Dropbox syncing.


No, any source will do, and Dropbox will sync it anyway.

Oh, I see. I just checked Dropbox and I see there is a file for Marvin in it -- I assume that the Dropbox integration is only for saving the syncing information; it doesn't need the book itself to be present. What a great feature!

Thanks for setting me straight -- as I dig into the app, I'm realizing why everyone is so excited over yet *another* reader app. (I'm getting excited about it too. )