A Bookshelf for the Nook
Some time ago I wrote a simple file manager for the Nook, with no ability to delete, copy, and so on. That browser later learned to filter files by type, and then to pull descriptions out of books, show covers, and so on. Now it’s a full-fledged bookshelf with Cover Flow (flipping through covers), which, when needed, shows every file on the device, lets you install programs, and keeps a list of recent books.
Here’s a short video of it in action:
A couple of screenshots:
On top of that, the program lets you choose exactly what to show:
– all files (including hidden and system files);
– documents only (images, music, books, etc.);
– books only;
When you exit the program, the last folder you were in is saved, and every document you open gets saved into a virtual “Recent documents” folder.
The program can also let you pick an .apk file and install it. Compatibility has been tested with the built-in epub/pdf/pdb readers, as well as with the FBReader port from mynook. For epub/fb2/fb2.zip files it extracts the author and title, as well as the series name. Books opened through the program then open correctly through Reading Now. The program also keeps a list of the last 9 opened documents and has a cover-flipping mode (Cover Flow). You can hide a selected file, after which it will only show up in “View hidden files” mode. There’s also support for viewing images in PNG and JPEG formats.
The current stable version of the program is 1.2. That means it now has everything that was originally planned, plus a few extra features like image viewing, folder icons, and so on. The shelf works on any version of Android from 1.5 to 2.2, but is primarily designed for the Nook’s 600×944 screen resolution.
The program is available in two versions – as a standalone app and as a replacement for B&N Library. When launched as a Library replacement, the user is asked which library to launch – the custom one or the original. With a patched framework-res.apk you can check the “always use this program” box.
Program as a Library replacement
Link: http://runserver.net/nook/nookFileBrowser.apk
Size: 133593
md5: 3b4906752f89859f17de4ac55e2e385d
Standalone app:
Link: http://runserver.net/nook/nookFileBrowser_standalone.apk
Size: 133573
md5: d04bfe255d19f751af3c4f7d981065aa
Originally published 2010-11-23.