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Which comic book app should I get?
- Thread starter melman101
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I'm new to the iPad. Haven't had much time since getting it last night. But, will filebrowser also open video files? What app could let me stream files or view video files such as .avi or .mkvs?
Also, does filebrowser work with time capsule?
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Just found a 64gb iPad last night at Best Buy. So I'm new to this. But, I really wanted this thing for comics. So, please bear with me. I read the last 6 pages or so. People really love Comic Zeal but there are some new contenders like Cloud Reader and Bookman. I like the latter for the ability to read PDFs.
However, I have a few questions maybe some of you can answer. I currently read comics on my Mac with Simple Comics. It was a no frills easy to use comic reader. I liked the simplicity.
But, lately I'm wanting a little more robust. Something that can organize my comics and possibly sync to the iPad. Is there anything like that? Is there any program that lets me organize or catalog my digital comics on my computer and sync them with the iPad?
How do you sync comics with Comic Zeal? Does it have to convert all your comics to some other file type? What does it do with the original comic files? Must I use a separate syncing program to convert the comics?
Are there any iPad comic reader apps that sync wirelessly or do you have to go through iTunes? I'm looking to use pull my comic collection off my hard drive directly if at all possible.
How do these various readers work with dropbox? Does it just use dropbox as a remote drive and sync them to the app?
Also, for all of you that are using strictly comic reader apps, are you saving all your comics on your iPad? How are you organizing them on your computer?
One final note, does iTunes back up all the comic files you have inside one of these comic apps?
However, I have a few questions maybe some of you can answer. I currently read comics on my Mac with Simple Comics. It was a no frills easy to use comic reader. I liked the simplicity.
But, lately I'm wanting a little more robust. Something that can organize my comics and possibly sync to the iPad. Is there anything like that? Is there any program that lets me organize or catalog my digital comics on my computer and sync them with the iPad?
How do you sync comics with Comic Zeal? Does it have to convert all your comics to some other file type? What does it do with the original comic files? Must I use a separate syncing program to convert the comics?
Are there any iPad comic reader apps that sync wirelessly or do you have to go through iTunes? I'm looking to use pull my comic collection off my hard drive directly if at all possible.
How do these various readers work with dropbox? Does it just use dropbox as a remote drive and sync them to the app?
Also, for all of you that are using strictly comic reader apps, are you saving all your comics on your iPad? How are you organizing them on your computer?
One final note, does iTunes back up all the comic files you have inside one of these comic apps?
Gaelinic, lots of comic readers will let you organize and sync your comics, ComicZeal among them. But Zeal does convert all files into the cbi format, and that's one part of the process I wanted to avoid.
As I said earlier in the thread, the simplest approach I could find was a combo of FileBrowser and ComicGlass (you can substitute any comic reader for Glass, but I like that it does native cbr/cbz/PDF) with my comics stored on an AirPort Extreme disk. All of these apps have different organizing schemes they tie you into, and I figured that part was best avoided completely.
With my method, you're using the regular finder file structure of your USB drive or computer's hard drive to organize, and that's always going to be more flexible and universal going forward. You just copy each comic wirelessly as you read using FileBrowser, which also hands it off to the comic app. At that point the comic is stored locally on your iPad. When you're done reading, delete the comic out of the comic app (and ergo off the iPad).
This way you save space on your iPad and spare yourself the bother of dealing with the quirks of each app's comic organizing methods.
As I said earlier in the thread, the simplest approach I could find was a combo of FileBrowser and ComicGlass (you can substitute any comic reader for Glass, but I like that it does native cbr/cbz/PDF) with my comics stored on an AirPort Extreme disk. All of these apps have different organizing schemes they tie you into, and I figured that part was best avoided completely.
With my method, you're using the regular finder file structure of your USB drive or computer's hard drive to organize, and that's always going to be more flexible and universal going forward. You just copy each comic wirelessly as you read using FileBrowser, which also hands it off to the comic app. At that point the comic is stored locally on your iPad. When you're done reading, delete the comic out of the comic app (and ergo off the iPad).
This way you save space on your iPad and spare yourself the bother of dealing with the quirks of each app's comic organizing methods.
Big fan of comic zeal. however, i'd advice against buying it one. There has been no updates for months now. And looking at the support page, it seems that there will be a new version which needs to be paid for again. Yet, there are many bugs and issues which aren't fixed yet on the current version.
A question. I've been using Bookman, Cloudreader, and Comicbooklover. However, only one of them could read all my comics and that was Comicbooklover. I'm wary of investing money in any other comic readers if they cannot open any .cbr files.
I'm also wary of investing in Comiczeal since there haven't been any updates since August of last year. I also read that it crashes a lot and causes delays when your iTunes conducts a backup. Postings online claim that Comic Zeal isn't optimized for the iPad 2, which causes the crashes. Have you guys encountered this?
What about Comicglass? I'm interested in it but would rather not invest in it if it does not open many cbr files. Well, its so cheap, I can gamble on that.
Here are some quick observations:
Comicbooklover opens all my files with no hitch. However, it seems aimed to work with the desktop application they want you to purchase. I say this because it doesn't let me organize my files and it does not arrange them unless you have the desktop app.
Bookman has the best looking UI but it doesn't open all my CBR files. However, it lets me export those files to Comicbooklover if it cannot open them. I'd like to see the file organization system improved a little so I could see all my bookshelves.
Cloudreader only happened to open about half my comics. It proved the most unsatisfying of the three.
Anyone have any other insight they would like to provide.
I'm also wary of investing in Comiczeal since there haven't been any updates since August of last year. I also read that it crashes a lot and causes delays when your iTunes conducts a backup. Postings online claim that Comic Zeal isn't optimized for the iPad 2, which causes the crashes. Have you guys encountered this?
What about Comicglass? I'm interested in it but would rather not invest in it if it does not open many cbr files. Well, its so cheap, I can gamble on that.
Here are some quick observations:
Comicbooklover opens all my files with no hitch. However, it seems aimed to work with the desktop application they want you to purchase. I say this because it doesn't let me organize my files and it does not arrange them unless you have the desktop app.
Bookman has the best looking UI but it doesn't open all my CBR files. However, it lets me export those files to Comicbooklover if it cannot open them. I'd like to see the file organization system improved a little so I could see all my bookshelves.
Cloudreader only happened to open about half my comics. It proved the most unsatisfying of the three.
Anyone have any other insight they would like to provide.
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I've been using glass for months, it's the best for my needs (tried them all) and is updated constantly. Last update added folder images for the bookshelf view. Back to the point I've never come across a cbr file that it couldnt read (it works far faster than zeal with hi res images too) and I've read a good couple of hundred using the app.
Let me know if you want any images of the app because I put up a couple elsewhere to show the new bookshelf thumbs.
Let me know if you want any images of the app because I put up a couple elsewhere to show the new bookshelf thumbs.
Yes please do post a few pictures....
I have been using bookman for the most part, however I picked up zen viewer and am pleasantly suprised at how easy and nice it is. Plus I can also setup shared folders with it. Unless I am going on a trip I am really no longer storing items on my iPad. I have been using filebrowser (mentioned here) to do all of my reading. Between Zen Viewer and Bookman I am pretty much covered. If you have used either one of these two programs and used glass can you list any options or items one does better then the other etc?
Seems like the eternal quest to find the perfect comicbook reader!!!
I like that fact you don't have "X" amount of book shelves. You have one with say a folder on it if you will. Very nice. I will hold off a little longer thou.
Lol you pulled my image from 'elsewhere' lol.
Regards the new Glass folder view...
Well Comic Glass finally prettied up the bland bookshelf view, now in the options you can select a new theme which turns you plain grey folders into a little thumbnail of the comic sitting on a pile on books. Its a start but it has a number of problems, first it's too tiny, why have that little arrow there when that could be a bigger image of the cover?, also if the images took up the full height of the shelf then the names of the folders would be a lot easier to read. If it was up to me I would ditch the three books (hard to read text on top of those) and the daft arrow and have a nice large thumbnail.
I'm not a fan of the green border that now goes round the individual comics, I wonder why he did that?, I wish I could contact this dude so I could tell him.
Regards the new Glass folder view...
Well Comic Glass finally prettied up the bland bookshelf view, now in the options you can select a new theme which turns you plain grey folders into a little thumbnail of the comic sitting on a pile on books. Its a start but it has a number of problems, first it's too tiny, why have that little arrow there when that could be a bigger image of the cover?, also if the images took up the full height of the shelf then the names of the folders would be a lot easier to read. If it was up to me I would ditch the three books (hard to read text on top of those) and the daft arrow and have a nice large thumbnail.
I'm not a fan of the green border that now goes round the individual comics, I wonder why he did that?, I wish I could contact this dude so I could tell him.
This is the standard bookshelf view, I've tried to email the dev my suggestions but his website is all in Chinese so I don't even know if it went through or if he can read the message. He updates the app all the time so he is always improving things.
ComicGlass is great, but the only feature it is missing, and it's a big one for me, is a "zoom lock," a custom zoom level and position that the app remembers across page turns. Add that and it's perfect.
As of now, is there any comic reader besides Zeal that has this feature? I'm hoping that when Comic Reader Mobi returns, it will offer both native cbr/cbz reading and zoom lock. It's really helpful for older comics with big white borders taking up screen space.
As of now, is there any comic reader besides Zeal that has this feature? I'm hoping that when Comic Reader Mobi returns, it will offer both native cbr/cbz reading and zoom lock. It's really helpful for older comics with big white borders taking up screen space.
hows the marvel comic app?
i just wanna be able to buy an app that can help me get enough issues to actually understand the current storyline of the comic. i dont want apps that work like a pdf viewer where you just "slide" to the next page. i like the whole animations the marvel and dc comics app have.
i just wanna be able to buy an app that can help me get enough issues to actually understand the current storyline of the comic. i dont want apps that work like a pdf viewer where you just "slide" to the next page. i like the whole animations the marvel and dc comics app have.
Bought Comicglass and it still doesn't open many of the cbr files that comicbooklover can. It may be behind the curve in terms of UI or file system, but the ability to open all the comic files I have still trump any other feature offered by the other comic readers.
It doesn't matter how pretty they look or how seamless they feel, they just can't handle scores of cbr files.
It doesn't matter how pretty they look or how seamless they feel, they just can't handle scores of cbr files.
I'll answer my own question: Cloudreaders has a "zoom lock" feature and it's free!
Cloudreaders is now my go-to comic reader app. A little rougher than ComicGlass with the organizing features, but I don't use in-app comic organization anyway. Comic navigation is fine and the awesome zoom makes a big difference visually when cropping past the white borders on older comics, you get a 10-20% size boost for the panels that really cuts down on the squint factor.
So with it's latest update, Bookman is turning itself into a "lite" version with ads.
This annoys me greatly.
It'd be one thing to add a lite version and start charging for the one folks have, but to have people use the program, gather their comments and testing, and then bait and switch them seems wrong.
This annoys me greatly.
It'd be one thing to add a lite version and start charging for the one folks have, but to have people use the program, gather their comments and testing, and then bait and switch them seems wrong.
So with it's latest update, Bookman is turning itself into a "lite" version with ads.
This annoys me greatly.
It'd be one thing to add a lite version and start charging for the one folks have, but to have people use the program, gather their comments and testing, and then bait and switch them seems wrong.
When did this happen? I haven't seen any adds yet. If this is the case I am dumping it.