Looking for an upgrade

[Elektron]

Some of the things I want are: Pocket, Bluetooth audio, a headphone jack (not necessary), an inverted screen option, a web browser (this is a must for me!), OverDrive, and easy modding/hacking.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Elektron

Some of the things I want are: Pocket, Bluetooth audio, a headphone jack (not necessary), an inverted screen option, a web browser (this is a must for me!), OverDrive, and easy modding/hacking.

EInk Android Tablets: Boyue-Likebook, Onyx-Boox

[Quoth]

Except most websites don't work on eink well. A flaw of Android is that it's not finished and they keep incompatibly changing bits, so on the Lifebook Mars and most Android phones and tablets, if you have the SD card removable, the contents are inaccessible to many Apps. Or Apps that could access SD on an earlier Android can't on 8.x. Android is a mess.
However the Mars does work with earphone jack, possibly with BT earphones and certainly with a BT keyboard.

Really if you want all that an LCD Tablet is 1/2 the price and will work better. Turn the brightness down.

Really I find WFWG 3.11 (last version before win95) worked better than Android. It's very frustrating.


I could see no point to Sony switching to Android as it didn't support Playstore. At least the Lifebook Mars can switch the Google Framework on/off. Google PlayBooks does work, (audio, text and comic), but vanishes when Google Framework is off. So far most other Apps from my Google Account Android Playstore Library installed and work:
Kobo ereader, Kindle ereader, BorrowBox Library/ereader/audioplayer. Jota text editor works with the BT or soft keyboard. No Playstore apps can see the SD card, nor can KOReader. The presupplied Boyue ereader/PDF reader and Music do work.

[JSWolf]

Other then BT, a Kobo Forma has everything else you want. Do realize that BT audio will be a battery drain?

[pazos]

Indeed Android is a mess in terms of compatibility. There're no file APIs to write to the sdcard, so mkdir, touch, rm ... won't work. Even then most ereader software should be able to read documents from sdcard just fine.

I cannot speak for all of them, but KOReader reads files from sdcard without problems (see attachments). It just happens that sdcard cannot be navigated using the File manager because the parent dir is not readable.

[Quoth]

Though if you forgo audio, the Kobo Libra is best value.
The Lifebook Mars is a similar size screen to the Forma and about €50 cheaper here. Overall it's the same width as the Libra as it's like a PaperWhite 3 on steriods in appearance. It does have the adjustable orange to white front light like a Libra and unlike the Forma or Libra has SD slot, Playstore and earphone socket. Also the MTP via USB works less well or not all all with Calibre compared to Mass Storage mode of Kindle or Kobo.

However for actual reading, value, battery life etc without apps or audio the Libra is the best value. Kobos are best for annotation export on Calibre.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by pazos

I cannot speak for all of them, but KOReader reads files from sdcard without problems (see attachments). It just happens that sdcard cannot be navigated using the File manager because the parent dir is not readable.

So how do you setup KOReader on a Lifebook Mars for the SD Card? Or even for the internal books. It can't see either. Though I can navigate to notes I make with Jota Text editor on the internal flash!

[pazos]

Originally Posted by Quoth

So how do you setup KOReader on a Lifebook Mars for the SD Card? Or even for the internal books. It can't see either. Though I can navigate to notes I make with Jota Text editor on the internal flash!

1. See the gif I attached.
2. Use that procedure to navigate to sdcard
3. once in sdcard navigate to the book you want and open it

If you want to make whatever dir in the sdcard your home dir just navigate to it and long press the home button. It will ask you, confirm.

Edit: sorry, not visible in the gif. You open the menu pressing the + button

[Quoth]

The gif is too fast and flickery, I'd need separate frames/images to be able to read.
I did open the + menu but had no idea if it was offering to create a directory or wanting something I didn't now.

I did dialogue to make a 32G SD card be internal storage, but can't see it anywhere. A message briefly flashed up during format.

[pazos]

Uumh, you're mixing concepts I guess. That menu you talk about to format the sdcard has nothing to do with KO or any other program.

Anyways: if your sdcard is formatted as external you switch to it using + and "switch to sdcard". If you want to return to internal storage + and "switch to internal storage"

If the sdcard is formatted as internal the "switch to sdcard" is greyed out because there's no sdcard other than internal storage.

Anyways feel free to open a thread on KOReader subforum if you have other questions related to the program. My point is not that KO is what you need or is better than any other. Just that is able to read books from a external sdcard.

Have fun with your device

[Quoth]

No, there is no Switch to SD card option when you press + when it's a removable SD Card.

The "Formatting as Internal" had failed with the 32G. I reset it as an empty FAT32 via Linux and inserted it again with power off. This time the Format as Internal completed via Notification panel and offered moving Apps and Data. I accepted.

Now the KOReader works with books in /Books. Obviously this method means you can only transfer via MTP and it might be limited to 32G Byte cards. It has the advantage that all Android apps are using the SD card without using anyy SD Card APIs. Only more recent versions of Android have this option, which fixes compatibility at expense of only having WiFi or MTP transfer.

So, no, the KOReader and other Apps that can read SD cards on my Tablets and Phones can't see the SD card. You can see the mount point in the builtin Mars filebrowser and the pre-supplied Mars apps can use it. A 128G ExFAT. An OTA FW patch added exFAT compatibility at the Welcome screen and then the 14th Jan FW update after the reboot.

So the problems are Android and exFAT. Not really the Mars or KOReader.

Indeed KOReader does render ePubs better than the builtin ereader.

[pazos]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No, there is no Switch to SD card option when you press + when it's a removable SD Card.

That means you're using a legacy version, older than 2012.12.

The commit that added that feature is https://github.com/koreader/koreader/pull/6919 and the android implementation is in https://github.com/koreader/android-...ncher/pull/266

I'm aware that Likebooks are not 100% compliant with android, but they need to be compliant with "getExternalFilesDirs" as most apps in android rely on it.

Please don't install KOReader from crappy web pages or crappy app stores. Their versions are outdated at best, normally borked and might contain malware.

KOReader stable releases are available on github and f-droid. Nightlies are available in koreader.rocks

Install instructions for android in the wiki

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I did dialogue to make a 32G SD card be internal storage, but can't see it anywhere.

Then you only see the SD card - not the internal memory.
It makes sense to move all applications to the internal memory so that they do not take up space on the SD card

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Then you only see the SD card - not the internal memory.
It makes sense to move all applications to the internal memory so that they do not take up space on the SD card

Yes, the SD card pretends to be Internal memory, and you mean move apps & data from the original real internal Flash to the SD card mounted as additional internal memory.

I can confirm that BT Audio works. Though I'm using a €6 rechargeable adaptor that drives ordinary headphones, Hifi or small speakers. It took several attempts.

I've a mono handsfree and a necklace BT earbuds somewhere I'll test. Listening to MP3s made from an old cassette audio book set.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by pazos

That means you're using a legacy version, older than 2012.12.

Ah, but other apps say Access Denied on the path.

I installed it from the Boyue App Store on the Mars. Which any random person would. The OTA / Web update option in KOReader gives a message I didn't understand.


I've no idea how to install ANYTHING directly on the Lifebook.