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Old 04-08-2010, 02:52 PM   #1
phearlez
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Mobi TOC style vs ePub style?

Apologies if this should go elsewhere but it's odd enough that I'm not 100% sure where to ask.

I've been using Calibre and the Washington Post recipe to populate my kindle every day and I love it. One of the things I really like about it is the way it lists the table of contents - it suits my reading style, which is very section-focused (having been reading a daily print paper for 20 years...)

Now I've got an iPad and while the kindle is easier on my eyes overall, where I read the paper is dimly lit and is one of the few places it'd be easier on the iPad.

Except how it handles the table of contents? Nowhere near as pleasant as how it happens on the kindle, where I get a screen with NEWSPAPER SECTION (# of articles) listings, and can either go to the first article in the section or get a list of sections. Not only is the iPad's ToC not like this but it's kinda junky.

While I'm reasonably sure this is a function of the iPad vs the Kindle I figure it's worth asking: does this have anything to do with MOBI vs ePub? Is it that my recipe runs and generates MOBI which I have then run the conversion process on rather than going straight from recipe -> ePub?

If none of that made any damned sense to you I suppose I could add pictures....

This is the layout style I really like and which the iPad ToC does not come close to matching in functionality for me:


Last edited by phearlez; 04-08-2010 at 03:20 PM.
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Old 04-09-2010, 07:04 AM   #2
GRiker
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The Kindle TOC style that you like (me too) is currently only implemented by Amazon on the actual Kindle device, not on any of the Kindle reader programs (PC, Mac, iPad, etc). It's not clear whether Amazon is holding back this implementation for technical or legal reasons, but I'm hoping that we see it soon. You will know that it has become available when Amazon announces that subscriptions can be delivered to devices other than the Kindle.

For followup questions, you'll have better luck in the calibre forum.

G

PS - You can do screen shots on the Kindle by pressing Alt-Shift-G. A .gif file is stored in the documents folder on your Kindle.

Last edited by GRiker; 04-09-2010 at 07:06 AM.
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Old 04-10-2010, 02:12 PM   #3
phearlez
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Thanks, GRiker.

So if I take your meaning, this layout has nothing to do with the AZW/MOBI format OR ePub format, then - it's entirely an implementation decision on the reader.

That's a drag, though it gives me hope that someone will implement it (or add it as an option) in a reader format for the iPad. Perhaps I'll email Apple a suggestion that it be added as an option in iBooks.
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Old 04-11-2010, 06:35 AM   #4
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You're correct - the layout is a feature within Amazon's implementation of the AZW/MOBI format, currently only on the Kindle.

I'm hoping that Amazon decides to implement it on their 'Kindle for iPad' app. The issue might be legal rather than technical. Amazon's contracts with subscription content providers might be only for the Kindle hardware.

It would be possible to mimic the layout in an ePub that would display on iBooks with some effort, but the key element would be mimicking the joystick navigation for next article/next section. For example, if a one-finger swipe means 'next page', then perhaps a two-finger swipe means 'next article'. That would need to be implemented within iBooks. If you do email Apple, you might generalize the request to include the notion of a two-finger swipe for 'next chapter' within a book as well.

G
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