Home › Forums › Linux Journal › Subscriber Discussion ›

LJ Android App feedback thread

Sep 29, 2011  By markstinson
 in

( I thought I start a thread we could all place the LJ Android Client feedback in)

I think the LJ Android App is pretty reasonable for a first release. Here's a few observations:

  • Code examples are not in displayed in a monospaced CODE font. If you cannot make the ePub and Android App versions show monospaced code snippets, could you create a preference pane selector so we can change the app's global font to one that's monospaced. Clicking the Menu -> Page to download the actual page isn't a necessary work around
  • Breadcrumbs and remembrance. Every time I went back to the "Navigator" (i.e. Table of Contents) after reading an article, I was placed at the top of it ... not 4 screens down where I made my last selection.
  • There should be an About Screen selector via the Menu button
  • There should a Goto [mobile] Website via the Menu button (or placed in the About Screen)
  • There needs to be Preferences via the Menu button
  • Preferences should include:
    • disable automatic update checks (or make them WiFi only)
    • disable the device's screen time out while reading
    • set default font settings (size, typeface)
  • Maybe even fold browsing the forums in the app too. (I don't expect it though. It is just forums after all.)

I understand the app is written by Texterity, Inc. but there are a few features which are basic to all apps, such as Preferences and About Screens. Texterity should throw in those basic features.

Cheers. Mark S.

‹ Happy Reader Unsubscribes What a bargain ›

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Saved Location or Book Marks please!!!!

venohm's picture
Submitted by venohm on Thu, 12/29/2011 - 15:14.

Love the app... Great on my Cyanogenmod Nook color, but would love to have the ability to save the page I'm on.

Can we please have the app cache the mag.

Peter Nunn's picture
Submitted by Peter Nunn (not verified) on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 21:39.

Guys,

one of the places I read the LJ mag (or used to) was on a plane. You can't, for obvious reasons, have the mag download each time you want to read it on a plane. I'm using a tablet with plenty of storage, can we please have the option to cache the mag on the device?

Peter.

Congratulations, and some suggestions

Pablo's picture
Submitted by Pablo (not verified) on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 16:41.

First of all, thank you. I hate having to read PDF files, and while I will still miss the paper mag (yes, some cheese too, please), the Android version is very good.

Now, if you allow me, a few suggestions:

* Drop once and for all the "page view", that's not "digital" at all.
* Stick to the "per article" view, or at least make it the default
* Remember where I was last, we still need bookmarks!
* Something similar for the "navigator" feature... don't make me scroll down again to where I was before selecting an article
* The previews for the feeds are truncated, at least in my Android
* Regarding page flipping, you need to require a longer "swipe" of the finger, I found myself passing pages without wanting to (or at least an option to set this...)

So, well done. I'm a happy subscriber. Looking forward to see how the app is improved.

Cheers,

Pablo A. Destéfanis

Mobile app good but not yet great

CanJeff's picture
Submitted by CanJeff (not verified) on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 11:01.

While I do appreciate having LJ on my phone there are a few things I would like to see:
Bookmarks or at least last location remembered,

Links from menu to the article; the 'Navigator' menu option does link to the articles but it would still be nice to browse in a similar way to a paper magazine,

Zoom only appears to magnify one level and when I turn my phone sideways the magnification is less. I want to be able to zoom in as much as

In short, I want something as close to the now extinct paper magazine as possible because I really do miss paper. :)

Jeff

Got October in and all seems to be good now.

pnunn's picture
Submitted by pnunn on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 19:33.

Thanks Guys,

no idea what happened in the background, but the October edition is in and I'm reading it on my tablet just fine. Well done.

Peter.

keep track of last page

cmastro's picture
Submitted by cmastro on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 15:43.

Why is the app not keeping track of the last page i read before shutting down? I do NOT like to restart from magazine selection everytime I start the app, wtf

Feedback

blackraider's picture
Submitted by blackraider on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 12:57.

I'm unable to read the October issue with LJ App in my Android platform. Only can view it in preview mode. When asked for an email address to get full access the app tells me "We could not find in our records. Please update your subscription info or try again" and two buttons: Update and Close. If you tap in update the app crash and close.

The links provided in the email announcing the new issue redirects me to the traditional download of LJ page BUT I only get a file called get-doc.php and I have to rename manually to the correct name (in this case an epub file)

I seem to have a continuous update loop happening now.

pnunn's picture
Submitted by pnunn on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 18:24.

I got notification of an update on my tablet, which I did, now every time I start the app I get a popup telling me to update, and around we go. Still no menu, still no way to download the new edition that I can see.. come on guys.. what's going on here?

Peter.