What reading software would you use on an 8inch windows tablet?

[Solemn Spirit]

Hi all,

Have recently picked up the 8" Bush My Tablet running windows 8.1 and was wondering if you guys had any recomendations/preferences when it come to choice of reading program on something this size.

So far I've only tried Calibre as a reader and, while it has it's uses, I don't think I will necessarily keep using it.

What do you guys think ?

[dwig]

I'm not so sure that there is a great one yet.

Currently, I'm using Book Bazaar Reader which is a Modern (nee Metro,...) app that is available free from the Microsoft Store. It's quite functional but not full of a lot of customization features. It works very well in a purely touch environment.

I've used calibre's ebook-viewer and found it functional, but since it's a Desktop application it has its functionality issues in a pure touch environment. Recent updates have improved things, but I found it marginal without a pointing device or a software simulation such as TouchMousePointer (highly recommended as a useful tool for general use). I've also used Kindle for PC (the Desktop version not the Modern App that is preinstalled on many Win8.1 devices) and, again, found it less than great in a touch environment.

I keep calibre on my tablet (Dell Venue 8 Pro 32gb + 32gb microSD) as an ebook manager/converter and export (Save to Disk in calibre terms) my reader. I keep very few books in my reader's library, only those currently being read. Once finished, I delete them, retaining only the copy in the calibre library which is on my expansion card.

[Sweetpea]

I only use the ereader application that comes with Calibre. I've tried about a dozen apps, all mangled my books and completely ignored my own stylesheet. And none of them want to keep the books in their original location.

Originally Posted by dwig

I've used calibre's ebook-viewer and found it functional, but since it's a Desktop application it has its functionality issues in a pure touch environment. Recent updates have improved things, but I found it marginal without a pointing device or a software simulation such as TouchMousePointer (highly recommended as a useful tool for general use).

What do you need, regarding touch features? I can open the book, I can read it, I can turn pages and I can close it. All without pen.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I only use the ereader application that comes with Calibre. I've tried about a dozen apps, all mangled my books and completely ignored my own stylesheet. And none of them want to keep the books in their original location.



What do you need, regarding touch features? I can open the book, I can read it, I can turn pages and I can close it. All without pen.

Ebook-viewer is usable, but not particularily comfortable on a small handholdable 8" device. IMHO, it needs:

• Automatic remembering 100% of the last used state, including document that is open and place in the document.
• Larger leading (spacing) between menu items on contect menus which likely means abandoning some system services and generating these with specific code.
• Control of menu text sizes, again this likely requires abandoning system services and manually creating the menus.

Tablets used as eReaders are generally rather small by Windows standards, often 8" screens. All of the standard Desktop UI services provided by Windows produce UI that is too small to be convient in a touch only environment on such small screens.

For ebook-viewer to be comfortable on such tablets it will need to abandon almost all system services (file open/close dialogs, menus, etc) and replace them with its own custom code. Ebook-viewer would have to act like the MS Office 2013 applications which alter the UI in responce to their auto-detection of device attributes. This type of auto-detection or some manual Preferences setting (defaulting to tablet mode) would be necessary in order to avoid destroying the comfortable functionality for those who use more conventional desktop configurations.

[Solemn Spirit]

Originally Posted by dwig

I'm not so sure that there is a great one yet.

Currently, I'm using Book Bazaar Reader which is a Modern (nee Metro,...) app that is available free from the Microsoft Store. It's quite functional but not full of a lot of customization features. It works very well in a purely touch environment.

Thanks for the tip, I've just loaded it up. i'm liking the options it has, though I wish I could change the blue of the interface to something else. I may consider getting rid of the ads if I find myself using it often enough.

Do you use any partular naming convention when saving to disk ?

[paulsalter]

I have tried quite a few, but usually end up going back to the Overdrive app, not high on features but its nice to read with, and also syncs my reading progress with overdrive on win 8 pc if I want to read a few pages at my desk (side loaded and library books)

Currently looking at the trial of Fiction Book Reader, has a lot more options to it, but not used this too much yet to make a decision (does cost £1.99 for full version)

[dwig]

Originally Posted by Solemn Spirit

...

Do you use any partular naming convention when saving to disk ?

My preference is: {series} {title} - {author}

[jj2me]

Yikes. Am just now setting up my new Dell Venue 8 Pro, and trying to use the included Kindle app. Unless I'm missing something, there's no brightness setting. And again, unless I'm missing something, it's way too inconvenient to change the brightness via Windows (I've turned off auto-brightness at the suggestion of several posts).

After
- lengthy and seemingly never-ending updates,
- creating a couple of Windows USB recovery drives
- removing the recovery partition in order to regain some space (my nominal 32 GB of storage went to 7-something after updates),
- experiencing Windows Update stalling when called via Charms, but finally working when called via the old Windows UI,
- the standard Charms keyboard that appeared in the Kindle app didn't have one of my Amazon password characters, so I had to find the old on-screen keyboard to be able to input that one character,

it seems to me that Windows is doomed to live on bigger iron (desktops and laptops). If you need some program for your work, ok, Windows it is, and this tablet gives you portable full Windows. Maybe Win10 will solve some of the issues? Maybe worthy apps will appear (though we're not seeing that on Windows Phone). Otherwise, it's just too bloated and with too much of a mouse/keyboard history to perform well as a tablet consumption device. I can't imagine the average person, who has used other tablets successfully, being able to get through what I just went through, just to get to start using the thing.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by jj2me

...And again, unless I'm missing something, it's way too inconvenient to change the brightness via Windows ...

You are missing something. Check out the Charms>Settings panel. The brightness control is the upper right icon in the set of 6 icons at the bottom of the array. It's easy to access regardless of whether you are using a Desktop or a Modern app. I, too, have found that the auto-brightness logic is flawed and prefer to set it manually.

As to your keyboard issue, you need to consider adding additional localized keyboards via the Control Panel if you want characters not available on the default keyboard. This page provides some additional info: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...creen-keyboard

[jj2me]

Thanks, dwig. Brightness is easy for the Dell (less so for me ).

That link was for the blue on-screen keyboard, not the gray-black one that pops up normally (though I couldn't check fully, because those instructions assume navigation via the old Start button, and I didn't find similar options any other way).

I haven't found a way to enhance the standard gray-black keyboard. I don't think it's a localization problem, since the missing key that I need is the simple caret character ("^"). That's partially why my mini-rant. They did the same with Windows Phone, thinking they could leave out standard characters that all the Android keyboards offer. Why would they think that? Is it so hard to have the symbol keyboard have a key that brings up another symbol keyboard? Good luck to the average user.

Anyway, I found that I can successfully enter the "^" character by switching to the handwriting input and inking it.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by jj2me

...I don't think it's a localization problem, since the missing key that I need is the simple caret character ("^"). That's partially why my mini-rant...

Sorry, my link wasn't the best choice.

With the default configuration the caret is accessed by first pressing the "&123" key and then pressing the right-arrow key. This will display some alternate glyphs that include the caret.

An easier way is to access the Charms>Change PC Settings>PC and devices>Typing panel and turning on the "Add the standard keyboard layout as a touch keyboard option" choice. This is "hidden" on 8" devices in that it is at the bottom of the panel and you need to scroll down (drag) to see it despite the lack of any scroll bar to tip you off about the extra control... Once this is on you can press the lower right key on the Touch Keyboard and choose the standard keyboard layout. This replicates a standard Windows keyboard, sans numeric keypad, but uses smaller "buttons". With this keyboard the caret is available with a simple SHIFT. The same keyboard selection button will also allow language shift if you want to add other languages to get easy access to their special characters.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by dwig

Sorry, my link wasn't the best choice.

With the default configuration the caret is accessed by first pressing the "&123" key and then pressing the right-arrow key. This will display some alternate glyphs that include the caret.

An easier way is to access the Charms>Change PC Settings>PC and devices>Typing panel and turning on the "Add the standard keyboard layout as a touch keyboard option" choice. This is "hidden" on 8" devices in that it is at the bottom of the panel and you need to scroll down (drag) to see it despite the lack of any scroll bar to tip you off about the extra control... Once this is on you can press the lower right key on the Touch Keyboard and choose the standard keyboard layout. This replicates a standard Windows keyboard, sans numeric keypad, but uses smaller "buttons". With this keyboard the caret is available with a simple SHIFT. The same keyboard selection button will also allow language shift if you want to add other languages to get easy access to their special characters.

Wow, this is great stuff. Two ways that work fine. (Three with inking.) I should have tried the arrow key, but my brain somehow conflated the "Tab" key and the right-arrow key below it, incorrectly seeing the right-arrow key as tab.

Thanks so much. I'm demoting myself to "average user". Apologies to Microsoft. I should have known that instead of zero ways to do something, Microsoft would give us at least two.

[Gah, Mobileread won't let me give you karma until I spread it around.]

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by dwig

Ebook-viewer is usable, but not particularily comfortable on a small handholdable 8" device. IMHO, it needs:

• Automatic remembering 100% of the last used state, including document that is open and place in the document.

There must be something wrong with your installation then, because my ebook-viewer remembers exactly where I left off, even if I read another book at the same time...

About the context menu, there's something weird going on there. Sometimes I get a menu with more room and sometimes I get the tiny compact one. But that thing is so minor compared to the loss of my own stylesheet, that I am very willing to to overlook it...

[Solemn Spirit]

Originally Posted by dwig

My preference is: {series} {title} - {author}

I was thinking of using that noe as well but can't seem to get it to use the regular title and series style instead of sort order e.g. the world according to clarkson and not world according to clarkson, the

I'm sure I did this on a previous calibre installation but don't see how to do it now.

[jj2me]

After trying the superb handwriting recognition using the latest Dell pen on the Dell Venue 8 Pro, I felt it necessary to correct my rant (excerpted below) about this not being a good tablet consumption device, in case anyone might be swayed by it.

The pen handwriting recognition puts this in another class. Much improved from the old Windows Tablet PC handwriting recognition or Evernote's handwriting recognition. For me, thoughts flow better when handwriting, compared to pecking out characters with one or two fingers on a soft keyboard. Glad I bought this tablet and pen.

Originally Posted by jj2me

Am just now setting up my new Dell Venue 8 Pro...

After
- lengthy and seemingly never-ending updates,
- creating a couple of Windows USB recovery drives
- removing the recovery partition in order to regain some space (my nominal 32 GB of storage went to 7-something after updates),
- experiencing Windows Update stalling when called via Charms, but finally working when called via the old Windows UI,
...

it seems to me that Windows is doomed to live on bigger iron (desktops and laptops). ...
... Otherwise, it's just too bloated and with too much of a mouse/keyboard history to perform well as a tablet consumption device.