March 12, 2011

Nook: alternative applications to standard library

The standard library application of Nook has some limitations; for instance:
  • since it doesn't handle folders (i.e. all book will be shown in a single list), it is quite uncofortable to use it when you have a large collection of books loaded into Nook;
  • it misses some nice features like the cover view.
Luckily, the Nook developers community provides some valid alternatives to the default library. Of course, to be able to install and use them, you need a rooted Nook; but this should not be a big problem!


What i consider the best library application is the "File Browser" by Nomad. It features a really nice and fast cover strip mode, that allows you to choose books by sliding the covers (on the touch screen display). Moreover you can (optionally) navigate trhoughout your contents in folder-mode. This is really useful when you have a large collection of books, organized in a tree structure.

Original thread in russian by the author, with further info and download here (translation to english).
Please note that the author publishes 2 versions:
  • one will become automatically the default library of Nook;
  • the other will instead be installed as a standalone application;
so pay attention to choose the one you prefer.
The author often releases new versions to correct bugs or introduce new features, so check his thread out once in a while to see if a new version is available!


Another valid option is NookLibrary by Nookdev community. More or less it offers the same features of the application by Nomad, but in my opinion is slightly slower and a bit less comfortable in its usage. My advice in any case it's just to try both applications and see which one better suit your needs.
Here you can find more info and download the last version (currently 0.1.7).

Nook: update for Firmware Improvements (v1.2 available)

Minor update for my Nook Firmware Improvements.
Version 1.2 include a better handling of "Full-Screen" feature, that now is handled directly through the reader menu.
Moreover, both Orientation and Full-Screen setting are now persisted across reboots.
Again (see this post), all credits for these new features go to user darkker of russian forum "The Electronic Book".

As usual, instructions and download on this page.

March 5, 2011

Nook: full-screen mode and landscape orientation on reader

With the version 1.1 of my firmware improvements for Nook, i introduced two more features for default Nook eBook-Reader application:
  • choose text orientation between portrail (default) and landscape;
  • choose to display or hide the top status bar (with title, battery status, time) in order to maximize the reading area.
For the orientation feature, all credits go to user darkker of russian forum "The Electronic Book". I just merged the modification he made with my code (in order to keep also the other improvements i made). This is the original link in russian (and its translation to english) to the thread where you can find more info about his implementation of this feature and its author.

As usual, instructions and download on this page.