Readerware Newsletter March 2012
Welcome to the Readerware® Newsletter
Readerware 3.10 has been released. Introducing Readerware for Android, learn about the latest version of Readerware.
New features in Readerware 3.10 include loan statistics and a new seller view. It also includes feature and performance improvements and general maintenance.
From the FAQ: How can I drag & drop a book from the new British Library site?
Readerware 3.10 Released
The big news in Readerware 3.10 is support for Android devices. You can take your database with you on your Android player, phone or tablet.
Other new features include loan statistics, designed to help you track what items are popular and which can be withdrawn. A new seller detail view helps booksellers prepare books for sale.
Based on your feedback there are other improvements and general maintenance.
The full list of changes is available in the release notes. You can also access the release notes from Readerware itself, select the Help->Release notes menu item.
Readerware Mobile for Android
The goal for the Android version was to let you take your Readerware databases with you. Have them with you when you visit your favorite brick and mortar stores. You can easily see the titles you already own and the titles you are looking for.
Browse your music or video library from the couch, decide what to play next.
You have full control over your Readerware Mobile database, you choose which fields to include. You can sort and search your database the way you want.
Readerware Mobile for Android is an extension of your desktop version. You catalog on your desktop and Readerware 3.10 provides easy ways to synchronize your database on your Android device.
Using Readerware Mobile on Android
When you start Readerware Mobile your full database is displayed in a list format with images. You can scroll up and down and also take advantage of fast scrolling. If you have a large database the Android scroll thumb will appear when you start to scroll, drag the thumb. To scroll down to items beginning with a certain letter, drag the thumb and release it when the letter is displayed.
You can also search your database, select the Menu->Search item. Select the type of search and enter what you are looking for. Readerware uses wildcard searches so just enter the first few letters of an author or part of the title and Readerware will display all matches. Click the Android Back button to return to the full list.
To display more information on a particular item, just touch it and the Readerware detail view is displayed. You can scroll through your items from the detail view also. Click the Android Back button to return to the list.
Readerware Mobile for Android is simple to use and you can easily find items in your database. There are a number of settings that you can change to meet your needs. For example you can choose to store your databases on internal or external storage.
If your Android device has a camera you can also use Readerware as a barcode scanner. Scan your items on their shelves and load the scans into Readerware auto-catalog.
Synchronizing your databases
You define your Readerware Mobile database format in the desktop version. Select Preferences, then Mobile. You choose which fields to include in the mobile database. A default set of common fields is provided to get you started, but you have full control over which fields to include. You can also set maximum lengths for each field. So for example you could choose to include the product info field, but only take the first 200 hundred characters to conserve space.
There are two ways to transfer your database.
- Network Sync - Transfer your database over your home WiFi network. You initiate the transfer from Android and it connects to Readerware on your desktop and transfers the current database.
- Import - You can also export your desktop database, connect your Android device and drag the exported file. Just drop it at the top level of the device storage and Readerware Mobile will find it.
You can have multiple databases of each type on your Android device and easily switch between them.
Downloading Readerware for Android
As this is the first release we have decided to wait before submitting Readerware to the Android Market. We are looking for your feedback on this version and depending on what we hear will either be submitting this version or the next version to the Android Market.
To download Readerware for Android use the browser on your device and go to the Readerware download page. Select the download link. When the download completes open the download folder and select the downloaded file to install it. Each product is a separate install so you can choose which Readerware products you want.
You will have to set the option on your device to allow downloads from other sources. You will normally find this in the Android main settings under applications.
Purchasing Readerware for Android
Many of you may be familiar with Readerware Palm Edition, a version of Readerware than runs on a Palm OS device. As we expand supported mobile platforms we have renamed this to Readerware Mobile Edition.
Just as with the desktop version, you purchase Readerware Mobile Edition and run it on the supported platform of your choice.
If you currently have a Readerware 3 Palm Edition license you can switch to Android for free. If not you will need to upgrade your current Readerware 3 license to Readerware Mobile Edition. Not sure what you have? Install Readerware 3.10 on your desktop and select the About Readerware menu item. If you have Readerware Standard Edition you will need to upgrade. If you have Readerware Mobile or Client/Server Edition, you are all set.
Haven't upgraded to Readerware 3 yet? Now you can upgrade from Readerware 2 Standard Edition to Readerware 3 Mobile Edition in one easy step. Choose your Readerware 3 upgrade on the upgrade ordering page and add the mobile option at checkout.
To order Readerware upgrades, use the ordering link below.
Readerware Mobile for Android help page
Readerware Mobile for Android download page
Readerware upgrade ordering page
Readerware on a Samsung Galaxy Player
Many users will use Readerware on their existing Android phones. But what if you don't have a phone and don't want any monthly charges. You can run Readerware on an Android media player or small tablet.
An excellent choice is the Samsung Galaxy Player. It comes in different sizes but the 4 inch screen is a good choice. It fits easily in a pocket and has a very nice screen. It includes WiFi support so you can easily sync your database, a camera so you can use it as a barcode scanner. Of course it will play music and you can watch streaming video etc.
You will find it online and at local retailers. There are other similar devices out their so you have plenty of choice if you are just looking for something to store your Readerware database on.
Loan Statistics
If you need a way to identify the less popular items in your collections, Readerware 3.10 has a simple yet effective way to do this.
Readerware now has fields for the loan count and the date of the last loan. As you check items out these fields are updated automatically. You can add these fields to a table view and identify the less popular items that you may want to remove.
Seller View
Booksellers now have a new detail view that they can use to help prepare books for sale.
As you probably know Readerware lets you control how much data is displayed in the detail view. You can choose from brief, standard and full.
Now there is a new seller choice. It includes fields useful to booksellers like the various price and sales fields.
You can set this view as your default view or set it on an item by item basis.
FAQ: How can I drag & drop a book from the new British Library site?
If you are a regular user of the British Library you will know that they have a brand new website. Their new design presents problems when using drag & drop.
When you search at the library, a list of matching items is returned. At most sites when you click on a particular item, the detailed listing is displayed on a new page. You can then drag & drop the link to catalog it.
However the new British Library site displays the detailed listing inline, in the middle of the search results. If you drag & drop the full page, Readerware has no way of knowing which item you are trying to catalog.
So what is the secret? Some browsers like Firefox let you drag a link. You can simply click on the Details link for that item and drop it on Readerware. Unfortunately not all browsers will let you drag links. If you are using one of these you will need to right click on the Details link and display the results in a new tab or window. Then drag & drop.
Readerware support
There is nothing more important than responding to your questions and feedback. You can always e-mail support@readerware.com and expect a prompt reply. You will receive a reply within 12 hours maximum, normally a lot sooner. Unfortunately e-mail communications are not as reliable as they once were. Spam and the various schemes people have dreamed up to combat spam are interfering with normal e-mail communications.
If you have not received a response to your support request within 12 hours, something has gone wrong.
- Check any Spam or message filters, the response may be there.
- Check with your ISP or system administrator. Sites are implementing various defense mechanisms which often block legitimate e-mail.
- If you are using a challenge system, please check to see if your response is being held. We do try and respond to challenge e-mail, but it can mean your response is delayed.
If you have not received a response within 12 hours, don't wait any longer, send a follow up e-mail. If possible try and include an alternate e-mail address. We will re-send your answer from another e-mail server to all addresses you specify.
Obviously Spam is a real problem, but it is important to realize that none of the defense mechanisms are anywhere near 100% accurate. There is nothing more frustrating for you than feeling ignored, you aren't being ignored.
All support e-mail is answered within 12 hours, if you don't get that response, check your anti-spam measures and try again.
Thanks.
Subscription information
You are receiving this newsletter because you joined the Readerware Newsletter mailing list.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter click here.
You can also unsubscribe from this newsletter by replying to this e-mail with REMOVE in the subject line.
This message was sent by Readerware Corporation.
PO Box 1059
Clearlake Oaks CA 95423
Copyright © 2012 Readerware Corporation