Writing Software/Apps for E-Ink Android Tablets ??

jgbout · 03-05-2021, 04:57 PM

So, I've littered up some forums trying to figure out pros/cons of some devices, which I've now gotten down to Boox Note 3 or Likebook Alita, both 10.3" Android.

The BIGGER Question has come up if my "hopes" are even doable, because of the software.

I want to "replace" my PC desktop writing setup with a 10.3" E-Ink Android Tablet + BT Keyboard. The E-Ink Tablet is to be the ONLY device, from start to formatted finish (no rough writing on Tablet and finish on the PC.)

(1) I wanted to be able to use MS Word & gDocs for novel and game writing, and something for script writing.

However....

It appears MS Word is likely NOT an option. I won't pay for 365, and the Free Android App only works on under 10.1" devices. Only option is the web-based office.com which is the same as the android app, BUT I can not imagine using a Web Based (browser) service is realistic for E-Ink Tablets.

I'm not sure yet if Google Docs has an Android App to launch it or not -- that would be a big plus if so, because gDoc is very Word compatible.

Other than that ???

(2) And, outside of Web (browser) based scriptwriting (screenwriting) options, I don't know of any Android Apps (especially free, or very low cost.)

Are there any realistic, long term, large project solutions to make this a reality and not just a future pipe dream?

gmw · 03-06-2021, 01:22 AM

I'm not particularly interested in portable device only solutions so I can't help directly, but I strongly suspect that this requirement:

Quote:

The E-Ink Tablet is to be the ONLY device, from start to formatted finish (no rough writing on Tablet and finish on the PC.

is the real hurdle that you face, especially if you are going to exclude web-based and commercial options.

I wouldn't even hold my breath for a future pipe dream on this.

Quoth · 03-06-2021, 09:29 AM

Forget final formatting. There are zero decent programs for that on iOS or Android.
You need a laptop with Linux, Mac OS or Windows, with either LO Writer, or maybe older versions of MS Word.
If you are not swapping the SAME document with a Word User every other day, then LO Writer from LibreOffice 6.x series is the best solution now. Learn how paragraph styles work and levels work.
You only need page styles for paper output via built in PDF.

You need Calibre or Sigil to make ebooks, basically epub2 as that is the upload format for Amazon also. Recently using odt to Calibre seems to work as well as Save As (additionally) in docx and convert in Calibre.

Jota is fine for basic editing on Android eink. Absolutely forget formatting. You need a 1600 x 1200 or 1920 x 1080 screen minimum, much more CPU and RAM than most ereaders or tablets and no full featured wordprocessor works well on eink.

There aren't even any commercial or Web based options that will do what you want, even on a 10" eink tablet, never mind more affordable 7" and 8".

I had even a Win10 tablet with MS Office and it was rubbish compared to a real laptop from 2002 (1600 x 1200 P4 mobile) or from 2016 (1920 x 1080 non-glare screen, i5 with AMD GPU, 500G HDD, 8 G RAM and about €600!).

You'd buy a Likebook Mars (7.8" eink Android, SD card), a 10" Lenovo Tablet, A 7" Kobo Libra, a decent BT keyboard and a moderately good laptop for the price of a decent 10" eink and decent keyboard.

jgbout · 03-06-2021, 12:31 PM

So, going with a computer based option, just isn't an option.
I have a chromebook if I just want to create and finish in say Officve.com (web-based Word).

To this point I've always just used MS Word on my desktop, or, gDocs from my browser, for short and long projects.

So, I'm afraid I'm not understanding why you say there's just not enough power, etc... to use an e-ink tablet? The larger tablets have as much power (almost) as my current microPC which is only an n3xxx series processor.

What is the hangup?

I mean, I found there is a Google Docs App, so full gDocs is available, and there are novelists who only use gDocs.

The only formatting is basic spacing, numbering, and at most a bit of "bold" or "italics," etc...

This is confusing......

jgbout · 03-06-2021, 12:32 PM

@gmw- I'm not exclusing commerical or web-based.
I see a number of commercial offerings are very inexpensive, so that's good. And web-based... I was "assuming" using a web-based, like Office.com was a problem for e-ink, having to be on the internet and render webpages. Am I wrong?

JSWolf · 03-06-2021, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgbout

@gmw- I'm not exclusing commerical or web-based.
I see a number of commercial offerings are very inexpensive, so that's good. And web-based... I was "assuming" using a web-based, like Office.com was a problem for e-ink, having to be on the internet and render webpages. Am I wrong?

Do you know anyone with an Android device? If so, ask if you can install a web browser and try a web based word process and see how well it works. If it works, it might work on an Android Reader. But don't buy one you cannot return.

jgbout · 03-06-2021, 12:57 PM

Thanks Jon.
I used to use Android Tablets (and was a drop seller too). Of course my phone is android. And, even though I'm currently on a PC, everything I do is based in the browser. Rarely I'll bring up Notepad or Word, and again, for word processing, it's very basic. Just "novel" formatting.

That's why I'm not sure why folks say e-reader/writer tabs in particular can't ?

I've seen youtube videos, but they aren't very extensive, which means, did they stick with it afterwards, or was it a novelty?

Buying... that's the kicker... nothing local. There's Goodereader store (based in Canada, ships from China & Japan,) Ebay and very limited Amazon (but have to use the USA version and I don't think there's buyer protection across border.)

So, it's buyer beware basically - and why I'm hounding.., I mean researching so strongly.

JSWolf · 03-06-2021, 01:21 PM

The Android based Readers I have would not do for what you want. They are too old, too old a version of Android, and too small a screen.

The problem comes in that you cannot do everything on an eInk Android Reader. If you need color for color images, that's out. If you want to go from the finished story to to eBook, that's out. So no matter how much you can do, you will need a proper computer at some point. And that is not a Chromebook or an Android eInk Reader.

jgbout · 03-06-2021, 01:24 PM

Jon. I don't need color, just old fashion text on paper, so to speak.
But you say you can not turn a work into an epub using an android tablet OR a Chromebook?

I thought one of the things about the Chromebook was that there were apps or web-based that could convert ?

Pajamaman · 03-06-2021, 01:58 PM

If you buy Onyx, I suggest buying directly from Onyx, or from booxter in Germany. That way, if you get a lemon, you will be able to get it repaired / replaced. Booxter also does Likebook.

JSWolf · 03-07-2021, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgbout

Jon. I don't need color, just old fashion text on paper, so to speak.
But you say you can not turn a work into an epub using an android tablet OR a Chromebook?

I thought one of the things about the Chromebook was that there were apps or web-based that could convert ?

Web based apps will not cut it. They just convert. You then have to take the eBook and edit the code. You should hand craft your eBook to make sure it's done properly and as simply as possible.

The thing is, you will eventually end up wanting to do things that you cannot do on Android or a Chromebook. So really, you would be best to get a computer that runs Windows to deal with your eBooks.

jgbout · 03-07-2021, 02:01 PM

Well, after what i paid for the chromebook, that's my direction now. So, I may have to rethink the rest, or just keep hunting for a solution that would work with tablet and chromebook.

Thanks though, I didn't know about the extra steps needed for epub creation, as some markets supposedly had their own converting in place.

Quoth · 03-08-2021, 07:59 AM

A Chromebook is a crippled sort of laptop because really ChromeOS is for a Cloud Terminal, and like most stuff from Google it's half-baked. You might be able to install Linux on it.

Windows 10, MacOS and almost any Linux are far superior to Android, iOS or ChromeOS for content creation and real programs.

jgbout · 03-12-2021, 08:23 PM

Let me put it this way.

If I am happy with the ability of the chromebook as a Word Processing replacement for a Desktop, can you see any reason why an E-Ink Tablet won't perform as well / offer the same solutions as a chromebook?

Quoth · 03-13-2021, 12:08 PM

An eink screen is quite different to LCD/OLED and few applications work well. The eReaders and PDF readers for android will work generally, because they are page orientated.

An eink (any OS) is inferior to LCD/OLED for editing and content creation. It's superior for reading.

In terms of OS, Android is inferior to ChromeOS for content creation and larger screens, which is why Google has both. ChromeOS is seriously inferior to MacOS, Linux, Windows.

Certainly you'll manage something, but you'll fail to get many converts among people writing, editing and formatting. Even ChromeOS is poor compared to MacOS, Linux, or Windows even on a cheaper laptop.

03-05-2021, 04:57 PM	#1
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	Writing Software/Apps for E-Ink Android Tablets ?? So, I've littered up some forums trying to figure out pros/cons of some devices, which I've now gotten down to Boox Note 3 or Likebook Alita, both 10.3" Android. The BIGGER Question has come up if my "hopes" are even doable, because of the software. I want to "replace" my PC desktop writing setup with a 10.3" E-Ink Android Tablet + BT Keyboard. The E-Ink Tablet is to be the ONLY device, from start to formatted finish (no rough writing on Tablet and finish on the PC.) (1) I wanted to be able to use MS Word & gDocs for novel and game writing, and something for script writing. However.... It appears MS Word is likely NOT an option. I won't pay for 365, and the Free Android App only works on under 10.1" devices. Only option is the web-based office.com which is the same as the android app, BUT I can not imagine using a Web Based (browser) service is realistic for E-Ink Tablets. I'm not sure yet if Google Docs has an Android App to launch it or not -- that would be a big plus if so, because gDoc is very Word compatible. Other than that ??? (2) And, outside of Web (browser) based scriptwriting (screenwriting) options, I don't know of any Android Apps (especially free, or very low cost.) Are there any realistic, long term, large project solutions to make this a reality and not just a future pipe dream?

03-06-2021, 09:29 AM	#3
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,365 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	Forget final formatting. There are zero decent programs for that on iOS or Android. You need a laptop with Linux, Mac OS or Windows, with either LO Writer, or maybe older versions of MS Word. If you are not swapping the SAME document with a Word User every other day, then LO Writer from LibreOffice 6.x series is the best solution now. Learn how paragraph styles work and levels work. You only need page styles for paper output via built in PDF. You need Calibre or Sigil to make ebooks, basically epub2 as that is the upload format for Amazon also. Recently using odt to Calibre seems to work as well as Save As (additionally) in docx and convert in Calibre. Jota is fine for basic editing on Android eink. Absolutely forget formatting. You need a 1600 x 1200 or 1920 x 1080 screen minimum, much more CPU and RAM than most ereaders or tablets and no full featured wordprocessor works well on eink. There aren't even any commercial or Web based options that will do what you want, even on a 10" eink tablet, never mind more affordable 7" and 8". I had even a Win10 tablet with MS Office and it was rubbish compared to a real laptop from 2002 (1600 x 1200 P4 mobile) or from 2016 (1920 x 1080 non-glare screen, i5 with AMD GPU, 500G HDD, 8 G RAM and about €600!). You'd buy a Likebook Mars (7.8" eink Android, SD card), a 10" Lenovo Tablet, A 7" Kobo Libra, a decent BT keyboard and a moderately good laptop for the price of a decent 10" eink and decent keyboard. Last edited by Quoth; 03-06-2021 at 09:36 AM.

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03-06-2021, 12:31 PM	#4
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	So, going with a computer based option, just isn't an option. I have a chromebook if I just want to create and finish in say Officve.com (web-based Word). To this point I've always just used MS Word on my desktop, or, gDocs from my browser, for short and long projects. So, I'm afraid I'm not understanding why you say there's just not enough power, etc... to use an e-ink tablet? The larger tablets have as much power (almost) as my current microPC which is only an n3xxx series processor. What is the hangup? I mean, I found there is a Google Docs App, so full gDocs is available, and there are novelists who only use gDocs. The only formatting is basic spacing, numbering, and at most a bit of "bold" or "italics," etc... This is confusing......

03-06-2021, 12:32 PM	#5
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	@gmw- I'm not exclusing commerical or web-based. I see a number of commercial offerings are very inexpensive, so that's good. And web-based... I was "assuming" using a web-based, like Office.com was a problem for e-ink, having to be on the internet and render webpages. Am I wrong?

03-06-2021, 12:57 PM	#7
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	Thanks Jon. I used to use Android Tablets (and was a drop seller too). Of course my phone is android. And, even though I'm currently on a PC, everything I do is based in the browser. Rarely I'll bring up Notepad or Word, and again, for word processing, it's very basic. Just "novel" formatting. That's why I'm not sure why folks say e-reader/writer tabs in particular can't ? I've seen youtube videos, but they aren't very extensive, which means, did they stick with it afterwards, or was it a novelty? Buying... that's the kicker... nothing local. There's Goodereader store (based in Canada, ships from China & Japan,) Ebay and very limited Amazon (but have to use the USA version and I don't think there's buyer protection across border.) So, it's buyer beware basically - and why I'm hounding.., I mean researching so strongly.

03-06-2021, 01:21 PM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 76,446 Karma: 136564696 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The Android based Readers I have would not do for what you want. They are too old, too old a version of Android, and too small a screen. The problem comes in that you cannot do everything on an eInk Android Reader. If you need color for color images, that's out. If you want to go from the finished story to to eBook, that's out. So no matter how much you can do, you will need a proper computer at some point. And that is not a Chromebook or an Android eInk Reader.

03-06-2021, 01:24 PM	#9
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	Jon. I don't need color, just old fashion text on paper, so to speak. But you say you can not turn a work into an epub using an android tablet OR a Chromebook? I thought one of the things about the Chromebook was that there were apps or web-based that could convert ?

03-06-2021, 01:58 PM	#10
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,838 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	If you buy Onyx, I suggest buying directly from Onyx, or from booxter in Germany. That way, if you get a lemon, you will be able to get it repaired / replaced. Booxter also does Likebook.

03-07-2021, 02:01 PM	#12
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	Well, after what i paid for the chromebook, that's my direction now. So, I may have to rethink the rest, or just keep hunting for a solution that would work with tablet and chromebook. Thanks though, I didn't know about the extra steps needed for epub creation, as some markets supposedly had their own converting in place.

03-08-2021, 07:59 AM	#13
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,365 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	A Chromebook is a crippled sort of laptop because really ChromeOS is for a Cloud Terminal, and like most stuff from Google it's half-baked. You might be able to install Linux on it. Windows 10, MacOS and almost any Linux are far superior to Android, iOS or ChromeOS for content creation and real programs.

03-12-2021, 08:23 PM	#14
jgbout Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 20210 Join Date: Feb 2021 Device: none	Let me put it this way. If I am happy with the ability of the chromebook as a Word Processing replacement for a Desktop, can you see any reason why an E-Ink Tablet won't perform as well / offer the same solutions as a chromebook?

03-13-2021, 12:08 PM	#15
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,365 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	An eink screen is quite different to LCD/OLED and few applications work well. The eReaders and PDF readers for android will work generally, because they are page orientated. An eink (any OS) is inferior to LCD/OLED for editing and content creation. It's superior for reading. In terms of OS, Android is inferior to ChromeOS for content creation and larger screens, which is why Google has both. ChromeOS is seriously inferior to MacOS, Linux, Windows. Certainly you'll manage something, but you'll fail to get many converts among people writing, editing and formatting. Even ChromeOS is poor compared to MacOS, Linux, or Windows even on a cheaper laptop.

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