Megareader updated...

artbatista · 10-31-2011, 03:38 PM

I just installed today's Megareader update. Some nice changes:

1.- brightness is now adjustable by a finger swipe just like it was with stanza.

2.- margins are now truly adjustable. Before we always had this huge margins, now it works as it should.

Not changed:

Rendering still sucks. Italics are ignored. Developers, please fix that soonest.

Cheers

Art

seajewel · 10-31-2011, 05:41 PM

The new configurable tap zones is pretty awesome. I can make just the top left corner be Previous page, and tap anywhere else for Next Page. I love that. It's even more configurable than Stanza, and I can comfortably read one-handed.

However, the top and bottom margins are still not adjustable. I'd prefer that margin widths would affect top and bottom, not just left and right. and the lack of italics is *still* a complete dealbreaker. So I'm still keeping an eye on this one, but it's not in usable shape.

Barty · 10-31-2011, 06:02 PM

I don't know why devs don't just use the built in webkit engine for rendering. I m pretty sure it's what stanza does.

FredipusRex · 10-31-2011, 08:50 PM

The hardware brightness swipe is a good news/bad news thing.

It's good that it actually turns down the backlighting instead of just changing to a darker background color.

The bad news is that the change is "sticky" - your backlight does not go back to normal when you leave the app.

I left a suggestion on the MegaReader feedback page to save the "current" backlight level when entering the app and restoring it to that level when leaving the app (by task switching or closing the app). Even better would be bi-directional - if you return to the app, go back to the "in-app" brightness level.

On the iPhone, the brightness levels seemed to work perfectly - from very bright to quite dim. The iPad did not get very bright, though - it was always a bit dim. (Default black on white text mode - no odd colors).

Philantrop · 11-01-2011, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredipusRex

The hardware brightness swipe is a good news/bad news thing.

Here's what the author had to say about a similar suggestion:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Thompson (Founder, Inkstone Software, MegaReader);http://megareader.uservoice.com/forums/137541-general-feedback/suggestions/2357595-restore-the-hardware-brightness-level-on-app-exit#comments

Yeah, I tried that, but Apple blocks any attempt to restore the brightness on exit. Apparently it is by design. Changing the screen brightness through the API allows the brightness to be changed only for the current lock session. As soon as you lock the device, the brightness is restored to the value previously chosen in settings. So if you lock and unlock the device, you'll get back to your previous brightness setting. The iBooks brightness control also works like this.

If you don't like this behavior then you can choose the "Overlay" brightness option in settings. This overlays a semi-transparent black layer on top of the reading screen, like Stanza did, and modifies the transparency of the overlay to adjust the brightness. This means that the brightness setting will only apply to the reading screen. The downside of this approach is that it does not conserve battery life, as the system brightness setting will.

kyteflyer · 11-04-2011, 06:40 PM

I'm still waiting for Patrick to add sideloading through itunes as an option, as well as having some kind of grouping within the library, a la stanza or readme

Norik · 11-06-2011, 09:16 AM

I'm trying this out as my stanza replacement, and I'm fairly pleased so far,
it works fine downloading from calibre over Wifi.
What I'm hoping for is the ability to sort by series, either by editing each book as i download it to my phone, or (prefferably) by it carrying over the info from calibre.

edbro · 11-08-2011, 05:41 PM

I've had issues where certain epubs do not display correctly in MegaReader. One did not display the TOC and had alignment messed up even though the book displayed correctly in iBooks and BlueReader.

Even though I paid for MR, I find myself using the free iBooks more simply because I like to look up new words in the dictionary and I can't do that with MR.

kas23 · 11-09-2011, 01:17 PM

I still can't get past the ugly, ugly way it organizes your eBooks. Just a big long list of your ebooks? Really? What was/is the developer thinking?

FredipusRex · 11-09-2011, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kas23

I still can't get past the ugly, ugly way it organizes your eBooks. Just a big long list of your ebooks? Really? What was/is the developer thinking?

The developer is working on a basic author grouping right now, with a more robust tag/publisher/series support coming later.

Drekk · 11-09-2011, 11:42 PM

I could ignore any other failings if the developer could just get epub formatting correct. That's my one sticking point with this app.

FredipusRex · 11-10-2011, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drekk

I could ignore any other failings if the developer could just get epub formatting correct. That's my one sticking point with this app.

That's apparently coming after the author sort.

10-31-2011, 03:38 PM	#1
artbatista Groupie Posts: 193 Karma: 1032826 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Miami, FL, USA Device: iPhone 4, iPad 2	Megareader updated... I just installed today's Megareader update. Some nice changes: 1.- brightness is now adjustable by a finger swipe just like it was with stanza. 2.- margins are now truly adjustable. Before we always had this huge margins, now it works as it should. Not changed: Rendering still sucks. Italics are ignored. Developers, please fix that soonest. Cheers Art

10-31-2011, 08:50 PM	#4
FredipusRex Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 510 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: iPad	Hardware brightness swipe The hardware brightness swipe is a good news/bad news thing. It's good that it actually turns down the backlighting instead of just changing to a darker background color. The bad news is that the change is "sticky" - your backlight does not go back to normal when you leave the app. I left a suggestion on the MegaReader feedback page to save the "current" backlight level when entering the app and restoring it to that level when leaving the app (by task switching or closing the app). Even better would be bi-directional - if you return to the app, go back to the "in-app" brightness level. On the iPhone, the brightness levels seemed to work perfectly - from very bright to quite dim. The iPad did not get very bright, though - it was always a bit dim. (Default black on white text mode - no odd colors).

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10-31-2011, 05:41 PM	#2
seajewel Fanatic Posts: 589 Karma: 1451235 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, Sony PRS-950	The new configurable tap zones is pretty awesome. I can make just the top left corner be Previous page, and tap anywhere else for Next Page. I love that. It's even more configurable than Stanza, and I can comfortably read one-handed. However, the top and bottom margins are still not adjustable. I'd prefer that margin widths would affect top and bottom, not just left and right. and the lack of italics is still a complete dealbreaker. So I'm still keeping an eye on this one, but it's not in usable shape.

10-31-2011, 06:02 PM	#3
Barty doofus Posts: 2,519 Karma: 13036221 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	I don't know why devs don't just use the built in webkit engine for rendering. I m pretty sure it's what stanza does.

11-04-2011, 06:40 PM	#6
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 9547754 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone SE2020	I'm still waiting for Patrick to add sideloading through itunes as an option, as well as having some kind of grouping within the library, a la stanza or readme

11-06-2011, 09:16 AM	#7
Norik Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS 350 (and a 700 in a drawer)	I'm trying this out as my stanza replacement, and I'm fairly pleased so far, it works fine downloading from calibre over Wifi. What I'm hoping for is the ability to sort by series, either by editing each book as i download it to my phone, or (prefferably) by it carrying over the info from calibre.

11-08-2011, 05:41 PM	#8
edbro Banned Posts: 640 Karma: 4911 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Grapevine, TX Device: iPad4	I've had issues where certain epubs do not display correctly in MegaReader. One did not display the TOC and had alignment messed up even though the book displayed correctly in iBooks and BlueReader. Even though I paid for MR, I find myself using the free iBooks more simply because I like to look up new words in the dictionary and I can't do that with MR.

11-09-2011, 01:17 PM	#9
kas23 Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: iPhone	I still can't get past the ugly, ugly way it organizes your eBooks. Just a big long list of your ebooks? Really? What was/is the developer thinking?

11-09-2011, 11:42 PM	#11
Drekk Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: iPhone	I could ignore any other failings if the developer could just get epub formatting correct. That's my one sticking point with this app.