Why must B&N kick against the goads?

[SCION]

I'm in the market for an e-ink reader to complement my NOOKcolor. Naturally, an eink NOOK would be my first choice. I'm not fond of its present look and anxiously await a cosmetic refresh.

After experiencing the reader library and the non-calibre-recognizing shelves, I ponder why B&N implemented this lame concept. The Kindle and Sony eReaders play nice with calibre. The eBook apps like Aldiko and Moon+ recognize tags.

I understand wanting to be different, but shouldn't features be practical as well? Can they make the shelves recognize tags? The creator of calibre said that shelves will never work with the application because of the way B&N implemented them.

Can B&N revamp their desktop apps so that it recognizes the NOOK (and shelves) and allow us to drag and drop books to the appropriate shelves at the very least?

The task of shelving books one by one on the device is what prompted me to consider rooting.

[Care]

I don't use the shelves on my classic Nook, I use tags with calibre. I wish the shelves did work that way with calibre though, it would be easier for everybody. Mind you, I like the rooted Nook better for organization. It beats the shelves even if they did work with calibre. The shelves are harder to navigate when you have tons of books.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by SCION

I'm in the market for an e-ink reader to complement my NOOKcolor. Naturally, an eink NOOK would be my first choice. I'm not fond of its present look and anxiously await a cosmetic refresh.

After experiencing the reader library and the non-calibre-recognizing shelves, I ponder why B&N implemented this lame concept. The Kindle and Sony eReaders play nice with calibre. The eBook apps like Aldiko and Moon+ recognize tags.

I understand wanting to be different, but shouldn't features be practical as well? Can they make the shelves recognize tags? The creator of calibre said that shelves will never work with the application because of the way B&N implemented them.

Can B&N revamp their desktop apps so that it recognizes the NOOK (and shelves) and allow us to drag and drop books to the appropriate shelves at the very least?

The task of shelving books one by one on the device is what prompted me to consider rooting.

I'm not sure where I read it but there is a way to include multiple books to shelve at the same time. Since my nook color I did all my shelving on that and not my nook classic. So I'll play around this weekend and see what I come up with.

but I'm almost postive I read somewhere someone explaining how to do it. I do believe on this forum.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by boswd

I'm not sure where I read it but there is a way to include multiple books to shelve at the same time. Since my nook color I did all my shelving on that and not my nook classic. So I'll play around this weekend and see what I come up with.

but I'm almost postive I read somewhere someone explaining how to do it. I do believe on this forum.

The only way I know is to select the shelf you want to use. Then select edit. Then scroll through all of your books in alphabetical order. You can't filter on anything. It's disappointing. Also when I import my books using calibre I have to manually place them on the appropriate shelf/shelves. Just don't know why they couldn't take note of how other eReaders do it (recognizing tags from the epub) and implement it within shelves.

If one has to do a factory reset you have to manually go through the process again. It's archaic.

[Care]

So when you root the NC it is not like a rooted classic Nook where you can browse by tags? I am not sure I would like that... I had just made my mind up to get a NC this weekend, but I was thinking it would be like my classic nook since I love the way I have it set up.

Crap, so I can't sync my side loaded books and I can't use my tags from calibre? Each of my books has multiple tags as well, so can you put the same book on multiple shelves? This would take me forever to do with the books already on my Nook.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Care

So when you root the NC it is not like a rooted classic Nook where you can browse by tags? I am not sure I would like that... I had just made my mind up to get a NC this weekend, but I was thinking it would be like my classic nook since I love the way I have it set up.

Crap, so I can't sync my side loaded books and I can't use my tags from calibre? Each of my books has multiple tags as well, so can you put the same book on multiple shelves? This would take me forever to do with the books already on my Nook.

Those of us making use of tags have installed an ebook app such as Aldiko, Moon+, and others. If you ask you'll find that many have abandoned the stock library altogether.

I'm with you on how you have your books organized. My books have at least two tags. In essence my shelves are my tags. So, when I import a book from calibre, I have to manually place it on two or more shelves. Imagine doing this with a library of a couple of hundred books. They advertise how the device can hold a couple of thousand in internal storage and much more with an SD card. It makes no sense.

If the stock shelves can't become tags, then at least recognize the tags in the epubs themselves. Allow one to filter on tags and then manually shelve the books. Give us something that we're accustomed to.

[iandix]

I have a nook and I loved the device but hated the way it catalogued the books (well lack of) I ended up rooting my nook and using Trook and calibre2opds I now have a fantastic system.

to see an example (this is not me) go to this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaJOt4OSlJw

[SCION]

Originally Posted by iandix

I have a nook and I loved the device but hated the way it catalogued the books (well lack of) I ended up rooting my nook and using Trook and calibre2opds I now have a fantastic system.

to see an example (this is not me) go to this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaJOt4OSlJw

Thanks for sharing. We shouldn't have to root our devices for basic functionality.

[iandix]

I agree, it is a shame that B&N sell such great products, but appear not to listen or take notice of what it's customers want. Can you imagine if they fixed their customer service and fixed a few basic features.. they would rule the ebook world..

it is funny that B&N can not offer a catalogue system such as show above, but some guy tapping away on a keyboard in his spare time can.. maybe B&N should be hiring those guys.

[KryptoNyte]

I really don't believe we are in the age of, "we aren't able to do that." I think we're in the age of, "We're going to choose whatever path is financially feasible for our company, even if it means locking customers out of options that we could easily provide for them." Apple's entire business model is built on this reality, and they will continue on in this manner as long as they can shove out a product that is good enough for their customer base to put up with the limitations.

I think the real issue that folks like B&N are facing in the digital age is the startling realization that they have 800 big ol' stores nationwide, but the demand for their physical product is in the process of being replaced by digital media.

This situation then leads directly into the DRM issue, and anyone with half a brain is spending plenty of daily meeting time trying to figure out how they are going to dodge the reality of DRM's death.

It took the mp3 folks a while, but they figured it out.

[nickdma]

Originally Posted by SCION

Those of us making use of tags have installed an ebook app such as Aldiko, Moon+, and others. If you ask you'll find that many have abandoned the stock library altogether.

I've been contemplating doing this myself...

I haven't tried it yet, and this might be so simple I'm overlooking something, but when I plug in my Nook Color, Calibre sees it as such, and thus Send to Device wants to send my books to /Media/My Files/Books.

I can't tell (that I know of) Aldiko to look there for books. I took a look at Moon+, but didn't see a way to tell it "I keep my books in ...". Most of the Android reader apps seem to expect books to be in /sdcard/somefolder, or expect you to use the app itself to download/import books.

I know there are many ways to deal with this, using a file explorer to move the files, etc. But I like things to "just work", I kinda hate kludgy solutions

I've stuck with the B&N library for now because I just send to device/remove from device, and it just works. But, like many, I find the Library nearly useless for sideloaded books. I don't like how B&N treats my content like it's inferior, but otherwise like their readers (I have 2 nooks and a color in the house now).

I'd like to use another app, I just haven't had the time to investigate which one and how to make it plug and play with Calibre.

[cutterjohn42]

Originally Posted by Care

So when you root the NC it is not like a rooted classic Nook where you can browse by tags? I am not sure I would like that... I had just made my mind up to get a NC this weekend, but I was thinking it would be like my classic nook since I love the way I have it set up.

Crap, so I can't sync my side loaded books and I can't use my tags from calibre? Each of my books has multiple tags as well, so can you put the same book on multiple shelves? This would take me forever to do with the books already on my Nook.

ah, but if you root, add an alternate home screen and do the market enable you can use ANY ereader app that you desire... Personally, I've been using FBReaderJ(available via website too) since I first started experimenting with tablets and picked up an Augen Gentouch78, then used it through the Pandigital Novel(white), then on the Viewsonic gTablet, and eventually on my NC when I get around to rooting it. Right now I just make do with going to the library app and the books loaded via calibre appear there... after I open it, it's available as currently reading or if it's in the last 5 IIRC opened books there's a More dropdown box that lists the last 5 books...

I've also become somewhat attached to Coolreader recently, but there's just something about the way that it renders text that is a bit offputting to me, or at least on my WPDN that I've been using it with.

One note about FBReaderJ is that the books need to go into a folder named "books" on the root directory of /sdcard (IIRC) to be found by this app. You have to do something similar for Aldiko as well IIRC. (heh, can't remember whether Coolreader scanned the sdcard for compatible book formats or if I had to put them in a particular directory, but it found the book that I was reading at the time.)

Also no idea if Calibre tags will work with these ATM as I don't use them, preferring either chronological (preferred) sorting or author sort as lists. (I never cared for the bookshelf metaphor on ereader devices... think that it's kind of silly actually...)

I imagine that the builtin home screen w/shelves etc. will end up having functionality added as it seems like right now it was the minimum finished just to push the NC out the door in time for xmas.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by nickdma

I've been contemplating doing this myself...

I haven't tried it yet, and this might be so simple I'm overlooking something, but when I plug in my Nook Color, Calibre sees it as such, and thus Send to Device wants to send my books to /Media/My Files/Books.

I can't tell (that I know of) Aldiko to look there for books. I took a look at Moon+, but didn't see a way to tell it "I keep my books in ...". Most of the Android reader apps seem to expect books to be in /sdcard/somefolder, or expect you to use the app itself to download/import books.

I know there are many ways to deal with this, using a file explorer to move the files, etc. But I like things to "just work", I kinda hate kludgy solutions

I've stuck with the B&N library for now because I just send to device/remove from device, and it just works. But, like many, I find the Library nearly useless for sideloaded books. I don't like how B&N treats my content like it's inferior, but otherwise like their readers (I have 2 nooks and a color in the house now).

I'd like to use another app, I just haven't had the time to investigate which one and how to make it plug and play with Calibre.

In calibre preferences for "sending books to devices" you can add /books and your books will be sent to that folder. You won't have to move anything manually.

Your preferences should look like this:

/books/{author_sort}/{title} - {authors}

When you send books to device you need to choose Storage Card instead of Main

Edit: You'll want to rerun the setup/welcome wizard and choose default device. If you choose NOOKcolor it will set up the path /My Files/Books. You don't want this.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by cutterjohn42

...
I imagine that the builtin home screen w/shelves etc. will end up having functionality added as it seems like right now it was the minimum finished just to push the NC out the door in time for xmas.

I'm curious why you think this. The eink NOOK doesn't recognize tags either. It's been around long enough.

[cutterjohn42]

Originally Posted by SCION

I'm curious why you think this. The eink NOOK doesn't recognize tags either. It's been around long enough.

Seems to be rather limited v. other devices and they clearly could not afford to miss the holiday shopping season. i.e. had they been on their game it would've originally shipped with Android 2.2 and flash rather than coming as an update some months later... look at Viewsonic and the gTablet, instead of going with vanilla 2.2 they went and added a UI layer that just wasn't ready and look at what that got them from so many people...

...as to tags the Care seemed to be indicating that it did in fact support tags for her...