BOOX calibre APP proposal

[rickyzhang]

I bought a Max Carta last week. Everything is great except it didn't fit well with my reading habit. I use Calibre to send weekly Magazine and daily News to my kindle over email. I read it from there.

I'm a native Chinese speaker but use BOOX in English locale. To my surprise, there is a similar send-to-kindle feature in Chinese locale. But it requires you a WeChat account and you must know Chinese. I don't use WeChat and I don't want to the big brother spy on me. So I refuse to use it. In addition, it is not a automate process. You have to login to their account and click button here and there.

Android 4.0 already sucks. The user experiences of running Android app on a single core e-ink tablet irritates me so much that I want to smash this $650 gadget.

In any case, I figure out a way to automate sending process. I have ownCloud server up and running at home. So I share my Calibre library to ownCloud. The hard part is to write a ownCloud client in Android 4.0 that pull eBook periodically from ownCloud server.

I have tested ownCloud Android library and its Android app on BOOX. I can download files from ownCloud server to BOOX without problem in Android 4.0.

So I create a github project in my github: https://github.com/rickyzhang82/boox-ownCloud

If you have any suggestion or want to contribute, please share with me.

Thanks!

[Kumabjorn]

Well, an obvious wish would be support for other cloud services like Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.

[rickyzhang]

That's a very good point.

The reason I choose ownCloud to start with is because I have ownCloud server at home with unlimited space potentially. ownCloud android App works under Android 4.0 in BOOX. Its whole android App is open source in github. It should be a good starting point. I can avoid reinventing wheel to write auth, UI and etc.

However, your suggestion should be almost the same. Because both Dropbox and Google Drive provide its Android API. But I'm not sure if their API library works under Android 4.0. I'm pretty sure that Dropbox App can't run in Android 4.0.

I downloaded Google drive app. It does work in 4.0.

No matter which sync methods, I need to change their Android client behavior:

1. Subscribe Calibre database change in BOOX. Sync the change whenever happens in Server.

2. Change default Download location to external SD card Book/ folder.

[cienanos]

FolderSync supports syncing with OwnCloud and has a lot of features, you can probably set it up as you want. The interface leaves a bit to be desired, but it's okay.

[rickyzhang]

Thanks for your advice. But FolderSync app doesn't support Android 4.0.

Here is the dilemma : either I wait for BOOX release Android 4.4 for Max Carta or I learn Android App development in my spare time and add these feature on top of ownCloud Android App.

How do you guys sync with Calibre?

[mdp]

Originally Posted by rickyzhang

I have ownCloud server [...] ownCloud android App works [...]
1. Subscribe Calibre database change in BOOX. Sync the change whenever happens in Server.
2. Change default Download location to external SD card Book/ folder.

Sorry, for clarification: you would use the app com.owncloud.android (is it this one? It seems to be a non-free app), but you want to have automated sync? The app does have manual sync, right?

How do you update your OwnCloud server: do you upload the calibre folder of books/documents?

If you want to get your hands dirty in the code, modification 2 (change default download location) looks easy.

To learn to code for Android has a learning curve... It does takes time. It is rewarding, but do not expect to rush the results.

[rickyzhang]

1. Yes, it is a paid App. But it is open source as well in github. I did paid but after installing Android Studio I found that you can compile and deploy it by yourself. It is just $1.99.

2. Yes. It is manual sync. That's why we need to hack into the code and wake it up and force it to sync. In my case: I want my WSJ daily download from Calibre at 6AM and then sync by ownCloud desktop App in my Mac.

3. Sync from Calibre to ownCloud server is easy: put the Calibre folder in PC/Mac as ownCloud folder. In desktop file sync is automatic.

4. It takes time. That's why I need help/suggestions.

TBH, I know nothing about Objective C and iOS app development until I feel fed up with AT&T asking me to give up my grandfather unlimited data plan in order to use their hotspot on my iPhone. That is how I start my iOS tethering App (https://github.com/rickyzhang82/tethering) several years ago when I'm single.

Now I have two year old. My time is very limited. If any Android expert here is interested in my proposal, please let me know. I can start a bounty program and let community decide how much does it worths.

But if no one is interested in it, I can do it by myself. But that takes time as you suggest.

[rickyzhang]

Originally Posted by mdp

Sorry, for clarification: you would use the app com.owncloud.android (is it this one? It seems to be a non-free app), but you want to have automated sync? The app does have manual sync, right?

How do you update your OwnCloud server: do you upload the calibre folder of books/documents?

If you want to get your hands dirty in the code, modification 2 (change default download location) looks easy.

To learn to code for Android has a learning curve... It does takes time. It is rewarding, but do not expect to rush the results.

Well, 2 is indeed easy. Just few lines of code change to hard code the external SD path in Max Carta. https://github.com/rickyzhang82/andr...1d7cccf4749c2d

Now I need to do some reading and researching how to use Android ownCloud sync API.

[BKeeper]

Or You could install Synchronize Ultimate.

Which syncs with everything under the sun and is compatible 4.0 ie: with the Max Carta.

However, I've been having random problems where app data will reset and I have to reconfig.

[rickyzhang]

Originally Posted by BKeeper

Or You could install Synchronize Ultimate.

Which syncs with everything under the sun and is compatible 4.0 ie: with the Max Carta.

However, I've been having random problems where app data will reset and I have to reconfig.

I have been using ownCloud to sync WSJ and Hong Kong daily newspaper every day for a month. It works quite well.

I give up implementing -- wake up device at specific time and trigger ownCloud client download and sync. It is not that bad to do it manually everyday.