66 replies to this topic

[uBook]

Android

Reading Page


Menu


Browser

Current Features

• TXT and binary file formats
  
• Multi-part books
  
• Save/restore/continue incomplete pagination file
  
• New Skin/Overlay engine that is much easier to use and to customize
  
• Simple easy to expand architecture (ok, just bragging)
  
• Simpler (faster?) paginating engine that doesn't require backtracking
  
• Half in Java, half in JUS (java-ubook-script) which means power-users can mess with it quite a lot AND also all config files are programmable and share the same format.  
  
• Code is portable, so Midlet and Blackberry versions are 'possible'.  

Features TODO

• TOC generation
  
• Custom fonts
  
• Options
  
• Annotations
  
• Dictionary
  
• Auto-scroll
  
• ZIP, EPUB, OPF, HTML, RTF, CHM, PML, PRC/PDB/MOBI and RB file formats
  
• Key Cursors and Touch Modes
  
• Install/Distrib

[cyclist]

Let us know when you need beta testers, there are quite a few of us eagerly waiting for this.

[uBook]

So all in all going well.  Slow to build the basic engine, but each new features takes less and less time to do.

Proof in point, yesterday I added a catchall binary parser in about 30 minutes:


I expect some alpha version (very limited) to come out soon.  I hope it runs faster on a real Android than on the emulator.  (I have a Palm Pre and my wife a Blackberry, so it hasn't been tested on a real unit yet).

[uBook]

cyclist, on 27 September 2010 - 04:12 PM, said:

Let us know when you need beta testers, there are quite a few of us eagerly waiting for this.

I am a bit afraid of releasing a limited featured version, with only a TXT parser and no options per say...

[The Guru]

Yeah but a fair few of us would be willing to beta test all the same I think!

[cyclist]

I mostly use txt files, with a few html, so I'd be willing to give it a go.

[Boz]

Nice work, all bodes well for the future.

[uBook]

ok, I will put in one missing feature (using keys to move to next/previous page -- quite useful...) and publish an alpha.
So tonight or tomorrow night.

[Ommadawn]

What you've done so far looks fantastic. I got all warm and fuzzy seeing the ubook symbol on an android "device".  

[uBook]

Thanks to all for the nice words!

Here is the pre-alpha version...  Like I said, no Features, no Options.  What I am curious to know, really, is the pagination speed and responsiveness of the UI.  Then we can argue on what features to come next.

The browser will open TXT files found in the private area for uBook.  Don't know exactly how it works on a real unit.  But on the emulator, its something like 'Android/data/com.gp.ubook.android/files', or /data/data/com.gp.ubook.android/files.  
I also want to know if this works, if it is according to the normal way of using files on Android devices?

Android package

But for all I know, maybe the package won't even install

For hackers, you can use a zip explorer to look at the package, specially the assets/ sub-folder where all the JUS code is, 100% readable (which doesn't mean 100% understandable ).