New B&N Nook upgrade

[rcentros]

This update doesn't affect my Glowlight 3 but it looks like they not only changed the fonts on the new Nook update (for the Glowlight 4s) they also got rid of the "thinner" and "thicker" settings. The Georgia font is gone.

Why does Barnes & Noble think it's a good idea to remove useful features from their readers? Hyphenation, gone. Many font sizes at the lower end of the scale (that most people use), gone. Now making fonts darker with the "thicker" setting is gone.

If I don't have Constantia embedded in my ePub, the only font setting I use in my Glowlight 3 is Georgia with the "thicker" setting. My first eReader was a Nook Simple Touch. The last I'll buy is their Glowlight 3 (and I'll keep using the older firmware that still has hyphenation and a reasonable number of smaller font sizes).

I just don't understand removing wanted features. How do they think that will build good will?

[Renate]

The stock Nook always had a poor choice of font sizes, it wasn't even geometric.
There were patches to make more sensible choices. Have you found/tried them?

My $0.02: An EPUB without any CSS should be at a reasonable (to me) size.
There should be allowance for up to 2X or down to 0.5X to deal with rogue CSS.
(Which since we're talking linear is areal 4X to 0.25X.)
The steps should be small enough that you have to consider which one you want but not so fine that you agonize.

Here is the top of the page I'm reading on a 6".

[cgsmom]

Well that is disappointing. My favorite font on the Nook was Ascender Sans with thicker setting. Well that is gone. I don’t know why I keep hoping Nook will get their act together. I do like having page turn buttons on both sides and I like being able to see the reader in person before buying.

I admit that I have been pleasantly surprised by the Kindle Colorsoft. I have been using that since my husband took over the GL4+. I have plenty of readers so I shouldn’t have to worry about deciding which one to buy for a while.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Renate

The stock Nook always had a poor choice of font sizes, it wasn't even geometric.
There were patches to make more sensible choices. Have you found/tried them?

No. I didn't know such patches existed.

Originally Posted by Renate

My $0.02: An EPUB without any CSS should be at a reasonable (to me) size.
There should be allowance for up to 2X or down to 0.5X to deal with rogue CSS.
(Which since we're talking linear is areal 4X to 0.25X.)
The steps should be small enough that you have to consider which one you want but not so fine that you agonize.

Here is the top of the page I'm reading on a 6".

Your sample looks good (probably a little smaller font than I would use now). When I embed fonts into ePubs I use Constantia. But on DRM'd books where I can't embed fonts on the Nook Glowlight 3, I use Georgia (thicker setting) and that works pretty well for (especially on the Glowlight 3 without the newer firmware and more reasonable small font sizes).

This latest firmware change doesn't affect me, but it ends any chance that I'll buy a newer Nook.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

Well that is disappointing. My favorite font on the Nook was Ascender Sans with thicker setting. Well that is gone. I don’t know why I keep hoping Nook will get their act together. I do like having page turn buttons on both sides and I like being able to see the reader in person before buying.

I guess the fonts they went to are in the public domain. (That's what someone said on Reddit anyhow.) But even if Barnes & Noble wants to go cheap, I don't understand removing the "thicker" and "thinner" settings. And didn't they already take into account the font "royalties" when we bought the readers? This change should have been optional for those already using the old fonts.

Originally Posted by cgsmom

I admit that I have been pleasantly surprised by the Kindle Colorsoft. I have been using that since my husband took over the GL4+. I have plenty of readers so I shouldn’t have to worry about deciding which one to buy for a while.

I'm in the same place. But I kind of have a soft spot for Nooks, since the Simple Touch was the first eReader that I bought. And I do like the buttons on both sides of the bezel.

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by rcentros

didn't they already take into account the font "royalties" when we bought the readers? This change should have been optional for those already using the old fonts.

That's how Kobo is handling it so far. Current firmware no longer has Georgia, but if you're using an old device that used to have it, it isn't getting removed.

I guess B&N has to pay for every device that ships with the font, so removing it probably saves money. I wonder if B&N is gradually making Nooks worse on purpose so they can announce the total discontinuation of all Nook models with the explanation of "low sales".

[Renate]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I didn't know such patches existed.

Err, I got a bit confused.
I made some patches for the original NST, NSTG.
This included font sizes in com.bn.nook.reader.commonui.ReaderCommonUIConstant s
The largest stock font sizes were absurdly large.
(See chart.)

I made different patches for the Glow2, Glow3.
But by that point I wasn't using the stock reader and didn't even look at font sizes.

[Renate]

I like more font sizes, like 17 here.

[Cactus Chef]

Kinda depressing that B&N's stewardship of Nook seems to continue to get worse, even as their own brick-and-mortar business seems to be turning around financially.

Like, you can do both, guys.

[halfsat]

I totally agree. I've seen multiple people online say that they like the Nook hardware, but not the software. Installing KOReader on my GL4e completely solved that problem for me. Before I discovered KOReader, I had very seriously been considering replacing a ~2 year old device just because of my complaints with the software. In a way, I'm kind of glad that the stock software was so bad because I probably wouldn't have found KOReader otherwise.

Besides the fonts (and the Nook Hub), has anyone noticed anything interesting in this update? I ran it on my 4e (and then re-rooted), but I didn't notice anything too major. The Reading Tools Menu (tapping on the center of the screen while reading) seemed to pull up more cleanly than it had before which was actually one of my complaints that pushed me away from the stock software in the first place. Other than that, I didn't notice a ton of change, but I didn't spend too much time in the app before switching back to KOReader.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Renate

The stock Nook always had a poor choice of font sizes, it wasn't even geometric.
There were patches to make more sensible choices. Have you found/tried them?

My $0.02: An EPUB without any CSS should be at a reasonable (to me) size.
There should be allowance for up to 2X or down to 0.5X to deal with rogue CSS.
(Which since we're talking linear is areal 4X to 0.25X.)
The steps should be small enough that you have to consider which one you want but not so fine that you agonize.

Here is the top of the page I'm reading on a 6".

Your correct. The fonts are terrible. That is a terrible font.

[JSWolf]

Why is the nook making the latest firmware a downgrade and not an upgrade?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why is the nook making the latest firmware a downgrade and not an upgrade?

It seems to be their long-term mission. I have no idea why they're doing it.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by halfsat

I totally agree. I've seen multiple people online say that they like the Nook hardware, but not the software. Installing KOReader on my GL4e completely solved that problem for me. ...

I'm not much of a KOReader fan either. I like the Nook having the same page numbers as my PocketBook and Sony. I did like the contrast settings, however.

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'm in the same place. But I kind of have a soft spot for Nooks, since the Simple Touch was the first eReader that I bought. And I do like the buttons on both sides of the bezel.

My first Nook was actually the Nook Color which I loved. My first eink was the Simple Touch. I have a soft spot for them too. For some reason I find it easier to forgive them for their failings than other companies.

This morning I see that all Nooks are $20 off. Since my husband is using the GL4+ and the GL4e has lousy resolution and uneven lighting, I can't believe that I am considering getting the GL4. Will I never learn?