A better browser?

oldyellr · 01-05-2012, 10:13 AM

I'm becoming very annoyed with the native Vox browser on some websites. For example, if I want to log in to my public library to borrow a book, I'm directed to http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/ and when I go to log in, I'm presented with a [select library] dropdown box and then a list of hundreds of libraries I have to scroll through by swiping the screen to select my library. Usually one of the other libraries opens up while swiping the screen, or I overshoot, and it takes a dozen tries to finally log in. With Firefox in my PC, I just get a dialog box where I can type in the name of my library directly. It seems on the Vox browser I get a simplified Android screen and then the endless hit-and-miss scrolling. Is there a way I can get the Vox browser to work like Firefox, or is there another popular Android browser that will?

mr_nobody · 01-05-2012, 10:30 AM

I just tested in the default browser and it seems to be redirecting to a mobile version of the site. If you use opera mobile and set it to desktop mode, you will have a better experience.

oldyellr · 01-05-2012, 10:36 AM

Thanks for the suggestion. I know when I would go to http://www.theweathernetwork.com it would give me a minimal Android screen, but I could scroll to the bottom and select "full view" or something like that. The library Android login screen doesn't have that option.

mr_nobody · 01-05-2012, 10:39 AM

Another thing that might be worth doing is contacting SOLS (who provide that site) and pointing out that there is not much point in providing a mobile site when it is actually harder to use than the regular site on mobile devices.

[edit]: Of course, that's an overdrive provided site, I expect SOLS has no control over the functionality.

lioslaith · 01-05-2012, 10:55 AM

I know I quickly got annoyed using the default browser on my Vox and now use Dolphin browser which I prefer. Whether or not it would work better for you will probably need you to do a test drive of the browser and see the result.

I know I preferred the Opera android browser over the Dolphin on my cheap android tablet as Dolphin was rather sluggish on it but I find it quicker and better on the Vox probably because of the better non-resistive touch screen the Vox has.

The only annoying thing I've found is that I can't install any app/extra's/plugins for the browser as you get referred to the android market for them.

oldyellr · 01-05-2012, 10:58 AM

Well, I have friend who's an administrator at the library and very computer-savvy. I'll ask him if there's a better way. I've always borrowed books by going through Overdrive on the Vox. After that, I can go to the library on my PC and download the book(s) I have out so I can also read them in ADE. The next book I borrow, I'll try doing it on my PC first and downloading it, then putting it in Dropbox to see if I can read it in Overdrive on the Vox.

mr_nobody · 01-05-2012, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldyellr

Well, I have friend who's an administrator at the library and very computer-savvy. I'll ask him if there's a better way. I've always borrowed books by going through Overdrive on the Vox. After that, I can go to the library on my PC and download the book(s) I have out so I can also read them in ADE. The next book I borrow, I'll try doing it on my PC first and downloading it, then putting it in Dropbox to see if I can read it in Overdrive on the Vox.

I'd be very surprised if that works. You need to download them using either ADE or the Overdrive app, I'm pretty sure.

oldyellr · 01-05-2012, 11:25 AM

Well, I borrowed a book using my PC and put it in Dropbox by copying it from my ADE documents. However, when I downloaded it from Dropbox on the Vox, Overdrive wouldn't open it because it hadn't been downloaded through Overdrive. So I just downloaded it as before. Seems the swiping/scrolling works better with a good WiFi signal and I managed not to open up any wrong library links. Sure wish there was a scroll bar on the right.

Cdesja5 · 01-05-2012, 06:39 PM

You can read library books in Aldiko. Just use the Overdrive sign in page's url as your catalogue, sign in and download from your holds/bookshelf or navigate in your library's site get a book. Once you have a book in your cart, when you download you will enter your Adobe id and the book will download into Aldiko.

oldyellr · 01-05-2012, 07:09 PM

Cdesja5, the problem I was experiencing was getting to where I could download a book from the library on the Vox, not the actual reading. Swipe/scrolling through hundreds of libraries without opening the wrong one by accident was challenging. Since the process was much simpler with Firefox on my PC, I tried to download the book on my PC and move it to the Vox using Dropbox. However, not only do library books have DRM, the DRM includes the lending period. Since I didn't download it through Overdrive, Overdrive didn't know I was entitled to read the book. I'm sure Aldiko would have the same problem. (Of course, I could remove the DRM and read in the Kobo reader, or Aldiko or anything else, but that's not the point.) The original reason for this thread was to see if other Android browsers display the same list of hundreds of libraries to scroll through.

Cdesja5 · 01-05-2012, 07:56 PM

You can check it out again from within the Aldiko app. I have a book that I downloaded to my computer a couple of days ago that I was able to add to the Vox and read with Aldiko...I don't use Overdrive at all. Just the Overdrive section of the Toronto Library to which you must first sign in (through the catalogue in Aldiko) and then find the book & download. The catalogue url to use to enter the Overdrive section of the TO library is below (on the off chance that you borrowed your book from there.
http://toronto.lib.overdrive.com/

Cdesja5 · 01-06-2012, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldyellr

Cdesja5, the problem I was experiencing was getting to where I could download a book from the library on the Vox, not the actual reading. Swipe/scrolling through hundreds of libraries without opening the wrong one by accident was challenging. Since the process was much simpler with Firefox on my PC, I tried to download the book on my PC and move it to the Vox using Dropbox. However, not only do library books have DRM, the DRM includes the lending period. Since I didn't download it through Overdrive, Overdrive didn't know I was entitled to read the book. I'm sure Aldiko would have the same problem. (Of course, I could remove the DRM and read in the Kobo reader, or Aldiko or anything else, but that's not the point.) The original reason for this thread was to see if other Android browsers display the same list of hundreds of libraries to scroll through.

You don't have to remove DRM to read anything in Aldiko. It works for both pdf and epub formats.
Also, you can create collections in Aldiko in the list view. That would keep your different libraries separate on the device.

oldyellr · 01-06-2012, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

You don't have to remove DRM to read anything in Aldiko. It works for both pdf and epub formats.
Also, you can create collections in Aldiko in the list view. That would keep your different libraries separate on the device.

Well, I just installed the Aldiko app and so far I'm not impressed. It won't load or import borrowed library books I have in Overdrive and I can't even see a Catalog button. Do you mean a pay version, because once in a while I see Google ads popping up.

mr_nobody · 01-06-2012, 12:02 PM

I am curious what differences there are between the free and premium version of aldiko. Curiously, I cannot find such info on their site.

Cdesja5 · 01-06-2012, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldyellr

Well, I just installed the Aldiko app and so far I'm not impressed. It won't load or import borrowed library books I have in Overdrive and I can't even see a Catalog button. Do you mean a pay version, because once in a while I see Google ads popping up.

Install Aldiko 2.0 :

http://aldiko.zendesk.com/attachment...d-2.00.127.apk

You should set up your ADE user in Aldiko first before doing anything else, go to settings by tapping the menu button and then select Adobe DRM on the screen.
You set up the Overdrive web page as a catalogue by entering the URL, catalog button is in the Home menu.
I don't think you will be able to move them from the Overdrive app to Aldiko, you set up a catalog for your library's Overdrive section at your signon page by entering the URL in the Aldiko catalogue window and that will then allow you to navigate the library site on your web browser (within Aldiko), either choosing to go to your account with your holds/bookshelf etc. or just "shopping" for a book on the site. When you have a specific book to load from the bookshelf you click your download button and Aldiko asks you to sign in to ADE and the book then downloads into Aldiko. You can set up collections in the LIST menu by using the tab at the top.
I have several "catalogs", one for calibre, one for the Toronto Library, one for Kobo, one for BooksOnBoard. I put my library books into their own collection as I download them so that when they expire they are not mixed up with the others and can be easily found later to delete.

As I was looking for the link for you, I saw that they now have a tablet version. It's only available in the Premium paid version right now but they say that it will be available in the Free version shortly.
The new version (2.1) apparently makes it easy to import books from other apps such as Dropbox, Gmail etc.
Details at this link:

http://www.aldiko.com/blog/tips-tric...rom-other-apps

01-05-2012, 10:13 AM	#1
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	A better browser? I'm becoming very annoyed with the native Vox browser on some websites. For example, if I want to log in to my public library to borrow a book, I'm directed to http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/ and when I go to log in, I'm presented with a [select library] dropdown box and then a list of hundreds of libraries I have to scroll through by swiping the screen to select my library. Usually one of the other libraries opens up while swiping the screen, or I overshoot, and it takes a dozen tries to finally log in. With Firefox in my PC, I just get a dialog box where I can type in the name of my library directly. It seems on the Vox browser I get a simplified Android screen and then the endless hit-and-miss scrolling. Is there a way I can get the Vox browser to work like Firefox, or is there another popular Android browser that will?

01-05-2012, 10:39 AM	#4
mr_nobody Evangelist Posts: 440 Karma: 26671 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kobo mini, nexus 7 (2012), kobo vox	Another thing that might be worth doing is contacting SOLS (who provide that site) and pointing out that there is not much point in providing a mobile site when it is actually harder to use than the regular site on mobile devices. [edit]: Of course, that's an overdrive provided site, I expect SOLS has no control over the functionality. Last edited by mr_nobody; 01-05-2012 at 10:44 AM.

01-05-2012, 10:55 AM	#5
lioslaith Zealot Posts: 145 Karma: 1000000 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony 505, Kindle, Kobo Vox/Glo, Nook	I know I quickly got annoyed using the default browser on my Vox and now use Dolphin browser which I prefer. Whether or not it would work better for you will probably need you to do a test drive of the browser and see the result. I know I preferred the Opera android browser over the Dolphin on my cheap android tablet as Dolphin was rather sluggish on it but I find it quicker and better on the Vox probably because of the better non-resistive touch screen the Vox has. The only annoying thing I've found is that I can't install any app/extra's/plugins for the browser as you get referred to the android market for them. Last edited by lioslaith; 01-05-2012 at 10:59 AM.

01-05-2012, 07:56 PM	#11
Cdesja5 Wizard Posts: 1,117 Karma: 2094306 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...	You can check it out again from within the Aldiko app. I have a book that I downloaded to my computer a couple of days ago that I was able to add to the Vox and read with Aldiko...I don't use Overdrive at all. Just the Overdrive section of the Toronto Library to which you must first sign in (through the catalogue in Aldiko) and then find the book & download. The catalogue url to use to enter the Overdrive section of the TO library is below (on the off chance that you borrowed your book from there. http://toronto.lib.overdrive.com/ Last edited by Cdesja5; 01-14-2012 at 04:54 PM. Reason: changed url

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01-05-2012, 10:30 AM	#2
mr_nobody Evangelist Posts: 440 Karma: 26671 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kobo mini, nexus 7 (2012), kobo vox	I just tested in the default browser and it seems to be redirecting to a mobile version of the site. If you use opera mobile and set it to desktop mode, you will have a better experience.

01-05-2012, 10:36 AM	#3
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	Thanks for the suggestion. I know when I would go to http://www.theweathernetwork.com it would give me a minimal Android screen, but I could scroll to the bottom and select "full view" or something like that. The library Android login screen doesn't have that option.

01-05-2012, 10:58 AM	#6
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	Well, I have friend who's an administrator at the library and very computer-savvy. I'll ask him if there's a better way. I've always borrowed books by going through Overdrive on the Vox. After that, I can go to the library on my PC and download the book(s) I have out so I can also read them in ADE. The next book I borrow, I'll try doing it on my PC first and downloading it, then putting it in Dropbox to see if I can read it in Overdrive on the Vox.

01-05-2012, 11:25 AM	#8
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	Well, I borrowed a book using my PC and put it in Dropbox by copying it from my ADE documents. However, when I downloaded it from Dropbox on the Vox, Overdrive wouldn't open it because it hadn't been downloaded through Overdrive. So I just downloaded it as before. Seems the swiping/scrolling works better with a good WiFi signal and I managed not to open up any wrong library links. Sure wish there was a scroll bar on the right.

01-05-2012, 06:39 PM	#9
Cdesja5 Wizard Posts: 1,117 Karma: 2094306 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...	You can read library books in Aldiko. Just use the Overdrive sign in page's url as your catalogue, sign in and download from your holds/bookshelf or navigate in your library's site get a book. Once you have a book in your cart, when you download you will enter your Adobe id and the book will download into Aldiko.

01-05-2012, 07:09 PM	#10
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	Cdesja5, the problem I was experiencing was getting to where I could download a book from the library on the Vox, not the actual reading. Swipe/scrolling through hundreds of libraries without opening the wrong one by accident was challenging. Since the process was much simpler with Firefox on my PC, I tried to download the book on my PC and move it to the Vox using Dropbox. However, not only do library books have DRM, the DRM includes the lending period. Since I didn't download it through Overdrive, Overdrive didn't know I was entitled to read the book. I'm sure Aldiko would have the same problem. (Of course, I could remove the DRM and read in the Kobo reader, or Aldiko or anything else, but that's not the point.) The original reason for this thread was to see if other Android browsers display the same list of hundreds of libraries to scroll through.

01-06-2012, 12:02 PM	#14
mr_nobody Evangelist Posts: 440 Karma: 26671 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kobo mini, nexus 7 (2012), kobo vox	I am curious what differences there are between the free and premium version of aldiko. Curiously, I cannot find such info on their site.