Does Neoreader support epub well?

[chrisridd]

Hi,

All my books are in epub format with DRM stripped, and I currently sideload them all via Calibre to a Kobo Aura ONE ereader. I'm starting to think of hardware upgrades, and the Kobo hardware choices are getting a bit boring and limited.

Some of the Boox devices look neat. I wish they used E-Ink Carta 1200, and there are some dubious resellers around but otherwise they're quite appealing.

What's the Boox reading app like to use? I can't really find much in the Boox reviews about it - plenty of stuff about the (yawn) note taking app and stylus but barely anything about the reader.

Things I'd hope for would be:

• strong epub 3 support
• good support for custom body fonts
• support for (different) custom heading fonts
• support for monospaced text (I read programming books too)
• tables, fancy CSS (etc)
• SVG support
• good TOC support (multiple levels, better than Kobo please)

Thanks in advance for any comments!

[fbrzvnrnd]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Things I'd hope for would be:

• strong epub 3 support
• good support for custom body fonts
• support for (different) custom heading fonts
• support for monospaced text (I read programming books too)
• tables, fancy CSS (etc)
• SVG support
• good TOC support (multiple levels, better than Kobo please)

Thanks in advance for any comments!

• It depends. You can install EPUB3 App reader on Onyx, but the support for EPUB3 is very discontinuous, so it depends what kind od EPUB3 you want to use. I tried to use a electronic poetry EPUB3 I wrote, and it works with some Apps, more or less. This is not a Onyx problem: the EPUB3 support lacks anywhere.
• Neoreader supports custom body fonts but - again - you can also install Apps like Koreader.
• uhm, I need some example. Why a ebook reader supports body fonts and not heading fonts?
• Yes
• If the tables were created correctly created in the ePub, yes. Fancy CSS: Neoreader supports a little, but not too much. You can try different Apps.
• There is some SVG support in Neoreader, but not solid. No support in Koreader if I remember well. Some Apps support it.

[Pajamaman]

Should be okay. I personally always use 3rd party reading apps. It's android so you can install others. I only use it for it pdf. I think neoreader for epub is based on Alreader. The only catch for me is it has no dark mode.

[chrisridd]

Thanks @fbrzvnrnd.

The Kobo store seems to provide epub3 books somewhat at random, so the Kobo reader at least can handle some epub3.

For the fonts thing - I'm trying to say that I'd like a book's text formatted using font A (Bookerly, say), and for the chapter etc headings to be formatted using font B (Helvetica Neue, say). Most font controls in apps (including Kobo) I've seen only have one font option. This is just a "nice to have".

It doesn't sound like Neoreader's that great, which is a pity but as you both say, there are other apps.

[chrisridd]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Should be okay. I personally always use 3rd party reading apps. It's android so you can install others. I only use it for it pdf. I think neoreader for epub is based on Alreader. The only catch for me is it has no dark mode.

Yes, that's a good point and I guess I should look in the Android readers part of the forum. How well do those apps integrate? There's an icon on the top left of the Boox Home Screen which opens Neoreader, or can that be changed to open a different reader?? I suppose the main part of the Home Screen showing "books" will open in whatever your preferred reader app is.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Thanks @fbrzvnrnd.

The Kobo store seems to provide epub3 books somewhat at random, so the Kobo reader at least can handle some epub3.

For the fonts thing - I'm trying to say that I'd like a book's text formatted using font A (Bookerly, say), and for the chapter etc headings to be formatted using font B (Helvetica Neue, say). Most font controls in apps (including Kobo) I've seen only have one font option. This is just a "nice to have".

It doesn't sound like Neoreader's that great, which is a pity but as you both say, there are other apps.

I mostly read on Alreader X, which has this option. You can customize the fonts for everything. I use different heading and body fonts.

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Yes, that's a good point and I guess I should look in the Android readers part of the forum. How well do those apps integrate? There's an icon on the top left of the Boox Home Screen which opens Neoreader, or can that be changed to open a different reader?? I suppose the main part of the Home Screen showing "books" will open in whatever your preferred reader app is.

That doesn't open Neoreader - it opens the library view. Within it, if you long press any file you can set the default app for that file type.

Other reading apps integrate quite nicely. A version of Alreader X is being used as the default epub reader in Onyx's Russian software and it's available for the international models on 4pda.ru (https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=945616 - it's the Eink version). It integrates as a system app.

Koreader, fbreader and coolreader also integrate in the way that you can control the e-ink refresh rate from within the app. Maybe also the frontlight using gestures (I never use this functionality, so I'm unsure).

[Kusuri]

I have my Nova Air now for a few days and installed KoReader the first day i got it. KoReader works really great for epubs. all lightnovels i read are in epub, and they work great. so i would recommend koreader for epubs.

you can set up the e-ink refresh rate (default is i think 5:5, but you can customize it).

i tested Neoreader for reading, but didn't really liked it. for pdf its okay but for everything else i prefer koreader.

[fbrzvnrnd]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Thanks @fbrzvnrnd.

The Kobo store seems to provide epub3 books somewhat at random, so the Kobo reader at least can handle some epub3.

Most of the EPUB3 on Kobo Store are simply ePub2 using the EPUB3 metadata and - sometimes - some XHTML5 tag or CSS2.x. Or, worse, fixed epub... I don't think Kobo supports in any way javascript interaction, video or sound support.

Originally Posted by chrisridd

For the fonts thing - I'm trying to say that I'd like a book's text formatted using font A (Bookerly, say), and for the chapter etc headings to be formatted using font B (Helvetica Neue, say). Most font controls in apps (including Kobo) I've seen only have one font option. This is just a "nice to have".

Ah, ok, you are talking about user power to change publisher CSS fonts. No, if I remember well Neoreader allows a general change of font.

Originally Posted by chrisridd

It doesn't sound like Neoreader's that great, which is a pity but as you both say, there are other apps.

IMHO Neoreader is not a killer application but has some interesting options. For example I use it a lot for take handwritten notes or underline or mark around words directly in ePubs.

[chrisridd]

Yes I think you're correct that the Kobo store's epub3 files are fairly minimally epub3. Richer metadata is probably the main difference.

Thanks for the integration notes. I think I was mixing up the Boox note taking tablets with their ereaders, but it is good to know that the library screen is agnostic and will open whatever app you specify for the filetype.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Thanks @fbrzvnrnd.

The Kobo store seems to provide epub3 books somewhat at random, so the Kobo reader at least can handle some epub3.

For the fonts thing - I'm trying to say that I'd like a book's text formatted using font A (Bookerly, say), and for the chapter etc headings to be formatted using font B (Helvetica Neue, say). Most font controls in apps (including Kobo) I've seen only have one font option. This is just a "nice to have".

It doesn't sound like Neoreader's that great, which is a pity but as you both say, there are other apps.

Kobo only provide ePub 3 if the publisher publishes the ePub in ePub 3. It's not random at all.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Yes I think you're correct that the Kobo store's epub3 files are fairly minimally epub3. Richer metadata is probably the main difference.

Thanks for the integration notes. I think I was mixing up the Boox note taking tablets with their ereaders, but it is good to know that the library screen is agnostic and will open whatever app you specify for the filetype.

That's not correct at all. What Kobo's ePub 3 have nothing to do with Kobo. It's do with what the publisher provided.