Any modern ereaders that can use nested collections?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Also, is there any reason no one suggests the Nook Glowlight 3? The price point is good, the screen lighting is apparently good (based on other threads I've read here). Based on their website, the battery seems good.

Can anyone comment on the collections and sorting abilities of the Glowlight 3? Is there any jailbreaking or helpful hacks for it? Is the general UI decent on it or is there some reason people aren't readily recommending it often on these threads?

You might want to take a look at the Nook forum. Such threads as The Amazing Disappearing Shelves might be useful.

Note that I do not own a Nook (they are a bit useless if you are not in the USA) but have been following quite a few of the Nook threads.

[Ryzir]

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Also, is there any reason no one suggests the Nook Glowlight 3? The price point is good, the screen lighting is apparently good (based on other threads I've read here). Based on their website, the battery seems good.

Can anyone comment on the collections and sorting abilities of the Glowlight 3? Is there any jailbreaking or helpful hacks for it? Is the general UI decent on it or is there some reason people aren't readily recommending it often on these threads?

The nook default Library software is terrible especially for side loaded books. However, I've been using Calibre Companion with my Glowlight 3 and it has been working really well.

When I first got my nook I was sideloading to the "spsd" (sideload) partition with Calibre via USB and I had lots of corruption issues causing me to re-transfer all my books and then the nook software re-scanning all my books. Since using CC I haven’t had any corruption or database issues. It also has a lot of the Calibre options like Series, Tags, and even custom metadata.

CC can’t see the “spsd” partition and the default save location isn’t scanned by the nook software (which I don’t want it to). I use the Wireless Device Connection in Calibre to transfer my books and you can set CC to open your books with the nook software. I also have Zeam Launcher set as my default launcher (Needed to be able to launch CC).

My Glowlight 3 is rooted but only to re-map the hardware buttons and add a back button for some other apps. As far as I can see you don’t need a back button in CC.

App versions I’m using: Calibre Companion 5.4.3.3 and Zeam Launcher 3.1.10.

[Pajamaman]

The ngl3 collection abilities for sideloaded books is nonexistant. You use the search. The software is flaky. The screen and light are great. I owned one.

[madagascaradam]

Thanks for the extra advice everyone! It definitely seems very clear that a Nook Glowlight 3 would be a bad choice for my needs (thanks for that linked thread DNSB!).

So I'm between a Kobo Clara or H2O and a PW4. I think I'll hope for an H2O if I can find a good deal on it in the next few months, otherwise I'll eventually have to decide on a Clara or PW4. I'm guessing I'll go for the Kobo either way (hopefully on sale) because of the way those adjustable temp lighting on it works for nighttime/dark room reading (my daily reading, and sometimes my primary reading)... but also hearing how it can do export of annotations sounds great to me.

Again, thanks everyone for the helpful input! I'll be looking for sales. In the meantime, if anyone has anything to add (especially if you know of a better way to organize collections on any e-reader than has yet been suggested), then please let me know! I won't be in the US for a couple more months (and will only make a purchase before then if I see a really good sale) so I'll have time to review this thread if there are any more good responses!

[cd2013]

OP, how would you manage your collections with PW4?

Have you thought of an Onyx or similar Android-based eink ereader, that can run Calibre Companion? I am looking into them but I'm not convinced by the startup time, which can be long on some of these devices. But then they can be left in standby for days, so maybe not a huge deal.

Or, alternatively, have you thought of having Calibre Companion on a phone, and then something like a Kobo as the main reader? This should allow you to browse search etc on your phone and, once you have identified the book you want to read, you'll easily find it on your Kobo. This of course assumes the Kobo is synced to your library.

I understand that Calibre companion supports hierarchies up to the 2nd level:http://cc_faq.multipie.co.uk/index.p...=86&artlang=en
and that Kobo shelves can be created based on any column of your choice:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kob...nd_Collections

[madagascaradam]

Originally Posted by cd2013

OP, how would you manage your collections with PW4?

Have you thought of an Onyx or similar Android-based eink ereader, that can run Calibre Companion? I am looking into them but I'm not convinced by the startup time, which can be long on some of these devices. But then they can be left in standby for days, so maybe not a huge deal.

Sorry for my delay in response, as I've been away for several days. From what I've read from browsing the forums here, an Android-based eink reader wouldn't be what I'd want, mainly because of shortened battery life. But also because those systems apparently just aren't as good as either the Kindle's or Kobo's interfaces.

Originally Posted by cd2013

Or, alternatively, have you thought of having Calibre Companion on a phone, and then something like a Kobo as the main reader? This should allow you to browse search etc on your phone and, once you have identified the book you want to read, you'll easily find it on your Kobo. This of course assumes the Kobo is synced to your library.

I understand that Calibre companion supports hierarchies up to the 2nd level:http://cc_faq.multipie.co.uk/index.p...=86&artlang=en
and that Kobo shelves can be created based on any column of your choice:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kob...nd_Collections

I didn't know about Calibre Companion until you mentioned it. But I looked it up and it appears it requires a cloud system and constant internet connection. That would also defeat the purpose for me. I spend a fair bit of time outside of internet range, including a fair bit of my reading time. Using Calibre on my computer is great for that (my books are always there, and I have a backup on an external hdd). Relying on a cloud service would simply lose too much functionality for me. If, on the other hand, I could put my entire calibre library on my phone (for example, on an external SD card with sufficient memory) and then use the Calibre Companion that way, it could be very functional for me in terms of browsing my library. But from what I read about CC it only works through the cloud and a constant connection through your computer, right? Or is there a way to set things up so that I can be offline on my phone and still browse my Calibre library easily that way?

Thanks for your help!

And by the way, I went ahead and ordered a Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2. People sold me on Kobo's framework and better importing of Calibre data (turning some tags into collections), and I really liked the idea of diminishing blue light for reading in the dark (which is one of the main times I read), as well as being off of Amazon's system and the dumb ads and things like that. I found the Kobo H2O 2 in a "new-in-box" sale on ebay and got the winning bid. Significantly more than I wanted to pay overall for a new ereader, but still a large discount from the standard price of the new Kobo from Wal-mart and I hope the new features and storage space etc. will prove worth the extra cost. I just hope the battery life is really long (my current PW1 is down to maybe 2-3 hours of reading tops!) and that the screen doesn't break easily (I've never broken an ereader screen before but a lot of listings for Kobos had broken screens, so I hope that's not a common issue).

Anyway, I again want to thank everyone here for the input! I may not have gotten exactly what I wanted for the price I wanted to pay, but I hope I did the best I could within the range of possibilities. Thanks everyone!

[cd2013]

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

If, on the other hand, I could put my entire calibre library on my phone (for example, on an external SD card with sufficient memory) and then use the Calibre Companion that way, it could be very functional for me in terms of browsing my library. But from what I read about CC it only works through the cloud and a constant connection through your computer, right? Or is there a way to set things up so that I can be offline on my phone and still browse my Calibre library easily that way?

There are ways to use Calibre Companion offline, but the first question is: what exactly are you trying to achieve? Also, how big is your Calibre library, as in how many MBs / GBs?

Do you want your entire library accessible from your phone or tablet?

Or do you just want to browse the titles on the phone, eg browsing by tags etc, but don’t need the actual books accessible on the phone?

In Calibre Companion, ‘local library’ is one of the options for cloud collection. Wrong choice of words, if you ask me – ‘local library’ should have been an option other than cloud, but anyway. What this mean is that Calibre Companion can access a local library stored on your phone. You may store just the database file (to browse only, without opening the books), or the entire library (database + books).

[madagascaradam]

Originally Posted by cd2013

There are ways to use Calibre Companion offline, but the first question is: what exactly are you trying to achieve? Also, how big is your Calibre library, as in how many MBs / GBs?

Do you want your entire library accessible from your phone or tablet?

Or do you just want to browse the titles on the phone, eg browsing by tags etc, but don’t need the actual books accessible on the phone?

In Calibre Companion, ‘local library’ is one of the options for cloud collection. Wrong choice of words, if you ask me – ‘local library’ should have been an option other than cloud, but anyway. What this mean is that Calibre Companion can access a local library stored on your phone. You may store just the database file (to browse only, without opening the books), or the entire library (database + books).

It looks like my entire calibre library (which is practically all the digital books I own, but not comics) is just 3.15 GB, so it's really not that bad. It'd be easy to fit on my phone's SD card. Though honestly, just being able to browse the database on my phone would be good enough (as I tend to sideload books in infrequent large groupings to my ereader) and I'd probably rather keep my entire library on my ereader anyway (since the new one will have plenty of space to do so).

So, let me make sure I understand this: I can put my calibre database only on my phone, and with calibre companion I can browse it to make my new book selection. Then I could search my ereader directly for the most recent book I chose? Does Calibre Companion contain *all* the metadata I'd have in Calibre... like book covers (which do actually have quite an effect on me) and book descriptions and the various tags, and even my custom category for collections? (I've been using that custom category to populate collections on my jailbroken PW1 which I then nest [when necessary for new collections] on the device itself.) And I can do all of that offline (assuming I regularly sideload/synchronize my calibre database to my phone through a USB cable or something like that)?

And finally, if all that (above) is the case, then on Calibre Companion can I search within a single category (for example tags, or custom category like my kindle collections ones) and view it as a bookshelf (i.e. covers) such that I can browse through the covers similar to on my device and when I click on a certain book I get more book details (like book description, etc.)?

Because if all of that is the case, then I really think you've got me sold on that. Browsing would certainly be more convenient that way, but my library would always be available on my device for actual reading (no matter which book I decide to select). That honestly sounds like a great compromise! And even better in some ways, considering I could browse covers in color on my phone and of course each page of "bookshelf view" on the app would obviously go much faster than the refresh rate on my e-ink ereader.

Anyway, I hope I understand you right because now I'm very excited about that possibility! Thanks for what you've shared so far!

[cd2013]

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

So, let me make sure I understand this: I can put my calibre database only on my phone, and with calibre companion I can browse it to make my new book selection.

Yes

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Then I could search my ereader directly for the most recent book I chose?

Yes - of course as long as you already have all the books on your ereader

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Does Calibre Companion contain *all* the metadata I'd have in Calibre...

The answer to this and your other questions is: "I believe so, but I am not 100% sure". For example, Calibre Companion supports hierarchies up to the 2nd level, not beyond:
http://cc_faq.multipie.co.uk/index.php?solution_id=1085
I did play with Calibre Companion a bit, but not extensively.
You can download a trial version of Calibre Companion and see if it fits your needs.

Glad I could be useful!

PS Calibre companion is not free but you can download a demo and try it. There are also scripts and other ways to sync your library to the cloud, and from the cloud to your phone or tablet. But it's important to set a one-way sync, because if both Calibre and Dropbox or a similar app access the library at the same time, it can get corrupted.

[rem736]

i don't understand why ebook manufacturers don't just use the label system ala gmail for managing collections. you can think of a label as a category. and a label doesn't have to be limited to a single word. this is the most intuitive and elegant way to manage any file, not just ebooks. you attach as many labels as you want to a book. then just search for that label. the results should show the book(s) with that label along with all other labels that are attached to that book.

i don't use calibre that much, but i know it has a keyword area. is it possible to search by keywords once you have it in the ereader? if yes, this is one way to manage collections.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by rem736

i don't understand why ebook manufacturers don't just use the label system ala gmail for managing collections. you can think of a label as a category. and a label doesn't have to be limited to a single word. this is the most intuitive and elegant way to manage any file, not just ebooks. you attach as many labels as you want to a book. then just search for that label. the results should show the book(s) with that label along with all other labels that are attached to that book.

i don't use calibre that much, but i know it has a keyword area. is it possible to search by keywords once you have it in the ereader? if yes, this is one way to manage collections.

At least for Kobo and Kindle, collections do use a similar system (a book can be in multiple collections).

Caveat, neither support automatic collections/filters based on embedded subject/tags metadata—something that Moon+ and various other e-reader apps for Android and iOS do by default. And two, no support for nested collections (most apps don't support nesting either, I think).

Also, I don't think either allow searching for the collection. I do wonder how much CPU and RAM would be required for a more robust search ala-Calibre.

By the way, Gmail didn't support nested labels in the beginning as well. That was added later and implemented similar to Calibre's hierarchical tags using "/" as separator: Parent Label/Child Label

[Pajamaman]

Android devices offer the greatest flexibility for organizing. The UIs are fine. The battery varies depending on device. I am using a Poke Pro and the battery is okay as long as I am only reading. I wouldn't go camping with it but at home and commuting is okay. My old rooted Nook SimpleTouch GL has an even better battery life.

[rem736]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

By the way, Gmail didn't support nested labels in the beginning as well. That was added later and implemented similar to Calibre's hierarchical tags using "/" as separator: Parent Label/Child Label

understood. but i wasn't even suggesting the nested label system used by gmail. nested labels aren't even necessary. just allowing for multiple labels would work. when you search for a particular label, all books with that label attached would be returned. it could be a smarter search if you can search for multiple labels at the same time and specify if you want it to be an "and" or "or" type of search. using the "and" type will functionally be similar to a nested label system.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rem736

understood. but i wasn't even suggesting the nested label system used by gmail. nested labels aren't even necessary. just allowing for multiple labels would work. when you search for a particular label, all books with that label attached would be returned.

That is precisely the way that collections on Kindle and Kobo work. Collections are "tags" that are attached to books, and a book can have multiple tags.

[rem736]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That is precisely the way that collections on Kindle and Kobo work. Collections are "tags" that are attached to books, and a book can have multiple tags.

i don't utilize collections on my kindle so i didn't know. is it limited to titles downloaded from amazon, or can side loaded titles be added as well? and can you search for collections?