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Old 12-02-2009, 08:54 PM   #1
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Bible Navigation Poor

I thought I would give some feedback on the NIV Holy Bible that I first purchased in EPUB format directly from zondervan.com and then the LRX version from the Sony eBook store.

The navigation is very very poor requiring you to use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the PRS-505 to move from book to book and then use the same navigation buttons to go from chapter to chapter.

As an example, to go to Psalms 100, you literally have to click over 100 times to get there!

Thinking that the EPUB from zondervan.com may have been an anomaly, I go ahead and purchase it AGAIN in LRX format from the Sony eBook store thinking that the experience would be different in large part from the feedback from one of their customers that said that navigation was much improved (Link Here). I couldn't imagine how much worse navigation could have been previously.

I was really hoping that the navigation would be equivalent to the great work that Sherman did with the KJV version found here.

I could only pray that an NIV version with easier navigation can become available or eventually upgrade to a touchscreen model of the Sony ebook reader.

Wish I could have had this feedback before purchasing my 2 unusable versions. I can't imagine trying to use this in church to find a verse quickly.

Last edited by All4Fun; 12-03-2009 at 02:16 PM.
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Old 12-03-2009, 10:43 AM   #2
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I TOTALLY agree with you. I use Logos Bible software on my desktop & laptop, and wanted a Bible for my Sony. I bought and installed one, but using it has been virtually impossible. I don't know what the answer will be, but as it stands, this format isn't it!
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Old 12-03-2009, 03:01 PM   #3
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Well, I called the Sony eBook Store customer service line and got a credit for the LRX version purchased from there. Although doubtful, I'm also trying to get a refund from ZonderVan for the ePub version. I had to submit my request via email and may not find out their response for several days.

It truly is not usable in its current state. Too bad samples are not available, like on the Kindle Store, to try before you buy. I left that feedback with Sony also.

Last edited by All4Fun; 12-03-2009 at 10:33 PM.
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Old 12-03-2009, 07:56 PM   #4
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Franklin BIB 475

Try the Franklin BIB 475 Bible. Amazon may be selling it for less than $ 85.

I have one and it works great with the NIV, KJV and Holman's Bible Dictionary all coordinated.

Verses can be found in seconds and any word can be referenced directly into the Holman Dictionary. One can show verses in the NIV and in the KJV by a simple link.

I'm using the same set of batteries for 6 months now and use the Daily Devotion there every day.
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Old 12-03-2009, 08:05 PM   #5
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Try the Franklin BIB 475 Bible. Amazon may be selling it for less than $ 85.

I have one and it works great with the NIV, KJV and Holman's Bible Dictionary all coordinated.

Verses can be found in seconds and any word can be referenced directly into the Holman Dictionary. One can show verses in the NIV and in the KJV by a simple link.

I'm using the same set of batteries for 6 months now and use the Daily Devotion there every day.
Thanks for the suggestion/recommendation. Kinda defeats the purpose though of having my ebook reader - yet another device. I suppose it's like having another book. I'll see.
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Old 12-03-2009, 09:09 PM   #6
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Although I will be talking about Kindle, bear with me.

I have made a number of Bibles (KJV, WEB, NET) in the mobi format for the Kindle. See discussion for KJV here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59871

In all of them, I am using three separate navigation methods: hyperlinked TOC, joystick jump between books, and what I call Direct Verse Jump (DVJ). DVJ is actually pretty nice on the Kindle. For me it is faster to open any verse in the Kindle than in the paper Bible.

DVJ requires text input so I do not know how it would work on Sony readers. Will touchscreen model work? To try you can take the sample from the link above and convert it to epub with Calibre.

I have sent a request to Zondervan for permission to issue an NIV edition with DVJ. I need to see how big royalties they would require.

Let me know if something like this would be useful for PRS.

You can also experiment with a full Bible in Chinese, which I released here for free.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?p=679688

Last edited by osnova; 12-03-2009 at 09:14 PM.
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Old 12-03-2009, 10:21 PM   #7
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Osnova, I've read those threads previously and I've been jealous that there aren't versions that would work with my reader.

The issue with the PRS-505 is that there is no ability to input text to support Direct Verse Jump. It may work with other Sony Reader models with text input or touchscreen but not the PRS-505.
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Old 12-03-2009, 10:44 PM   #8
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That's a bummer. So, the only thing left is hyperlinked TOCs. The NIV for the Kindle has a series of hyperlinked TOCs:

OT/NT selection > Book selection > Chapter selection > Verse selection

Is it the same way for epub?

What do you think would be a better approach for readers without a keyboard?
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Old 12-03-2009, 11:26 PM   #9
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The way that Sherman did it for the free ePub KJV version as described in this thread appears to be ideal to me:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31709

Not sure if this is particularly unique to the PRS-505 but I like the fact that the books of the Bible are aligned with the numbered buttons on the right side of the reader for easier selection. From there, the chapters are done the same way. The individual verses are then viewed collectively as part of the chapter. There's no further breakdown after chapters.
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Old 12-03-2009, 11:32 PM   #10
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I must admit that while the PRS-505 is a quality device, I'm starting to think that a touchscreen reader with keyboard input and dictionary support may be in my future and would have solved my problem for navigating the Bible a lot easier. It's simply a better way to access hyperlinks within a document and maybe even use the Direct Verse Jump feature.

For basic novel reading, the PRS-505 is an excellent device.
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Old 12-03-2009, 11:36 PM   #11
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I think I understand. I used to have PRS-500 but it was lost/stolen. Maybe I should get another Sony reader and work on epub books.
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Old 12-04-2009, 09:03 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by All4Fun View Post
The way that Sherman did it for the free ePub KJV version as described in this thread appears to be ideal to me:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31709

Not sure if this is particularly unique to the PRS-505 but I like the fact that the books of the Bible are aligned with the numbered buttons on the right side of the reader for easier selection. From there, the chapters are done the same way. The individual verses are then viewed collectively as part of the chapter. There's no further breakdown after chapters.
It's actually possible to create a third level TOC to navigate down to the verse level. I just haven't done that because I'm not sure if there is really any need for it, and it would take a long time to actually generate the ePub file.

At some point I plan to return to my bible, and add some internal hyperlinks to navigate between books and chapters without having to return to the external TOC. However, I'm not sure how this will affect loading and page turning speed.\

PS: And yes, my bible was tailored for specific use with the PRS-505/300 side numbers, and makes full use of the device's own Table of Contents system.

Last edited by sherman; 12-04-2009 at 09:05 PM.
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Old 12-04-2009, 09:10 PM   #13
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It's actually possible to create a third level TOC to navigate down to the verse level. I just haven't done that because I'm not sure if there is really any need for it, and it would take a long time to actually generate the ePub file.

At some point I plan to return to my bible, and add some internal hyperlinks to navigate between books and chapters without having to return to the external TOC. However, I'm not sure how this will affect loading and page turning speed.
IMO, I think what you've done is adequate enough. Of course, no one will complain if you created a third level TOC to access the verses. I just don't think it's necessary.

Let's put it this way, what you've done thus far with the KJV Bible is far superior to my experiences with the NIV Bible from Zondervan.
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Old 12-09-2009, 10:09 AM   #14
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Why fight it?

There is no question that for Bible reading the Franklin BIB 475 beats all the eReaders and costs less than $ 83 at Amazon. Verses can be found in seconds and themes and words can all be looked up in the included Holman Bible Reference.

I wouldn't live without it.

For other books I use my Sony PRS 505 and for PC reading I use Kindle for PC, Sony eBook Library, BN eReader and Microsoft Reader.

However, once Franklin comes out with the next generation for the BIB 475, I'll buy that as well.
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Old 12-09-2009, 12:11 PM   #15
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There is no question that for Bible reading the Franklin BIB 475 beats all the eReaders and costs less than $ 83 at Amazon. Verses can be found in seconds and themes and words can all be looked up in the included Holman Bible Reference.

I wouldn't live without it.

For other books I use my Sony PRS 505 and for PC reading I use Kindle for PC, Sony eBook Library, BN eReader and Microsoft Reader.

However, once Franklin comes out with the next generation for the BIB 475, I'll buy that as well.
I'm struggling with the idea of buying yet another electronic device dedicated for bible use when I have a dedicated ebook Reader (PRS-505) that was supposed to serve as a reasonable replacement for pbooks and consolidate them into one electronic device where possible.

If my PRS-505 can't serve its intended purpose, I struggle with the idea of paying +$80 for a dedicated electronic bible. Wouldn't it just make sense to carry my pbook bible then which, if you don't already have one, you can get at very little cost?

Considering some of the good work that some have done on this forum to create an accessible KJV version of the bible for the PRS-505 for FREE, I don't think my expectations are unreasonably high to expect the same level of quality for a similarly accessible version of the NIV bible that I'm willing to pay for that's being sold commercially.
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