[Archived] Marvin ePub reader for iPad

[kguil]

The new version (1.1.5) is out now. Update list: http://marvinapp.com/whatsnew.html

[Faterson]

Great stuff! I'm already salivating at the prospect of the extremely feature-rich post-holiday version 1.2 upgrade. Most eagerly awaited by me: paragraph spacing customization.

This app is fabulous but I cannot get it to link to my dropbox? It offers me the opportunity to do this I get the following "Marvin is not linked to your dropbox account. Link to Dropbox now?"

When I select Yes, the dialog box disappears and nothing happens. My WiFi is active (of course - I downloaded Marvin from the app store).

Help

Originally Posted by emt

This app is fabulous but I cannot get it to link to my dropbox? It offers me the opportunity to do this I get the following "Marvin is not linked to your dropbox account. Link to Dropbox now?"

When I select Yes, the dialog box disappears and nothing happens. My WiFi is active (of course - I downloaded Marvin from the app store).

Help

Also regarding the above, is Marvin compatible with IOS 6.01 - maybe there's a security issue preventing linking to Dropbox. As is, not being able to link is preventing me from using my library.
I am not rating yet in hopes that it's just me doing something stupid rather than a bug in the app.

[Faterson]

emt, this also happened to me the first time I tried to link Dropbox to Marvin. Just try it again, ideally after restarting Marvin and/or Dropbox. Marvin is definitely compatible with the latest iOS. The link to Dropbox works for me on both of my iPads.

[Faterson]

(By the way, linking to Dropbox directly isn't strictly necessary. You can also go "the other way", choose your book in the Dropbox app, then tap the "Open in..." button in Dropbox, and select Marvin from the list. I've been using SugarSync with Marvin in this way, because all my Calibre folders are stored in SugarSync rather than Dropbox. Maybe one day Marvin will also link to SugarSync and Box.net directly.)

Originally Posted by Faterson

emt, this also happened to me the first time I tried to link Dropbox to Marvin. Just try it again, ideally after restarting Marvin and/or Dropbox. Marvin is definitely compatible with the latest iOS. The link to Dropbox works for me on both of my iPads.

Yes, I've tried several times - I even uninstalled and reinstalled the app - no joy. However, the fact that you saw this indicates that there's some unfavorable interaction going on that may be a random bug - maybe the dev can sort this out. It certainly would me paying for this app should the dev decide to charge.

Originally Posted by Faterson

(By the way, linking to Dropbox directly isn't strictly necessary. You can also go "the other way", choose your book in the Dropbox app, then tap the "Open in..." button in Dropbox, and select Marvin from the list. I've been using SugarSync with Marvin in this way, because all my Calibre folders are stored in SugarSync rather than Dropbox. Maybe one day Marvin will also link to SugarSync and Box.net directly.)

I am able to move a book from Dropbox to Marvin but it's only one at a time - painful if you have a lot of books (fault of Dropbox, not Marvin). But still unable to link Marvin to Dropbox. Thanks for your help but IMHO, the dev needs to fix this pronto or this app will go nowhere - too bad because it's a good reading app and far superior to Ibooks.

[Faterson]

Hmmm, I'm surprised you find that feature so crucial. I find it almost negligible, certainly non-essential to the core functionality of the app, because, as mentioned, there are lots of other ways of getting books into Marvin, including from Dropbox. Most of us are celebrating Marvin because it is, at long last, a worthy successor to Stanza, already surpassing Stanza in many ways, but Stanza never supported Dropbox anyway.

That said, I agree with you that if a feature is offered it would be good to iron out any bugs in using it.

[Faterson]

To fine-tune my earlier suggestion: what about closing all apps on your iPad (and I mean really close them, so that your multi-tasking bar is empty), then launch Marvin only, and try the linking? Also, believe it or not, but actually closing all apps and restarting the iPad has sometimes helped remove some mysterious issues for me.

The fault could well be on Dropbox's side, too -- it's a superb service, but not bug-free. (Which also applies to the Dropbox app.)

[kguil]

Hi emt. I'm looking into it. Did you send me an email about this earlier on? Are you using the latest 1.1.5?

[kguil]

Hi emt. I tracked down the problem (and fixed it). Unfortunately, this means that I'll have to get an update out through Apple. I'll request an expedited review to get this in your hands as soon as possible.

I am very sorry about this. In the mean time, could you get books into Marvin through iTunes, eMail or Dropbox (the other way round)?

Thanks for your patience.

Originally Posted by kguil

Hi emt. I tracked down the problem (and fixed it). Unfortunately, this means that I'll have to get an update out through Apple. I'll request an expedited review to get this in your hands as soon as possible.

I am very sorry about this. In the mean time, could you get books into Marvin through iTunes, eMail or Dropbox (the other way round)?

Thanks for your patience.

Great news - of course I will use Itunes until the fix is posted. Thanks for the very prompt reply and also thanks to faterson.

Based on this news I think that you should waste no time making some money for yourself by a fee for the app. In the meantime, I will chat this up over on the other Ipad Mini forums.

It's nice to have a responsive developer!

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Faterson

Hmmm, I'm surprised you find that feature so crucial. I find it almost negligible, certainly non-essential to the core functionality of the app, because, as mentioned, there are lots of other ways of getting books into Marvin, including from Dropbox. Most of us are celebrating Marvin because it is, at long last, a worthy successor to Stanza, already surpassing Stanza in many ways, but Stanza never supported Dropbox anyway.

That said, I agree with you that if a feature is offered it would be good to iron out any bugs in using it.

Not every feature appeals to every person and some of us never used Stanza. I couldn't care less about 2 columns or spaces between paragraphs. The way the Dropbox integration works makes browsing or searching the list of books and downloading them very simple and I find it the most compelling reason to use this app. I'll hold off on the update until the fix is out.

[kguil]

Synamon, since you've already used Marvin before and already have it linked to Dropbox, installing the update won't affect you. This problem only affects new users or users that have never linked before.

Marvin is already fixed. If Apple accept my request for an expedited update, you should have it around Monday. In the worst case, the update will be out around Wednesday or Thursday.